Stand

1815-1840

Measurements

28-5/8 in x 16 x 18-1/4 in (top is 16-3/8 in x 16 in)

Materials

Cherry

Credit Line

Historic Odessa Foundation, The David Wilson Mansion, Inc.

Accession Number

1971.558

Condition Notes

The top was probably cut square originally but has shrunk across the grain to its present dimensions. 

Provenance

Bequest of Dr. and Mrs. J. Newberry Reynolds to The David Wilson Mansion, Inc., in 1942.

Comments

The down-turned legs, popularly called “spider” legs, the heavier turnings of the pillar or shaft, and the serpentine-cut corners of the top combine to suggest a timeframe for this stand or candlestand. Cherry had long been a cheaper alternative to mahogany, often being finished in imitation of the more expensive wood, but its use seems to have increased from the 1810s onward.  It has long been associated with New Jersey-made furniture, but that assumption ignores many other locales where cherry furniture is known to have been made.  The donors lived in Princeton and may have acquired the stand in the vicinity. Nonetheless, regional identification of this stand must be broad and general.

Another piece of cherry has been let into the baluster-turned shaft before it was turned. This inlaid wood appears to have covered a knot in the shaft and was part of the original fabrication.  The one-board top is attached to a cherry cross piece with six screws, which is two more than usual.