Candlestand

Dateca. 1830

OriginAmerica, Virginia, Southampton County

MediumAll components of black walnut.

DimensionsOH: 27 3/4"; OW: 16 1/2"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1993-17

DescriptionAppearance: Candlestand with fixed, non-rotating top; round top with unmolded edge; simple baluster-form shaft; flat-sawn cabriole legs.

Construction: Screws driven through the chamfered block at the top of the pillar secure the top to the base. The block is mortised to receive the round wedged tenon at the top of the pillar. The legs are tenoned into the bottom of the pillar and pinned.
Label TextThis candlestand was probably made in or near the rural Southside Virginia town of Courtland in Southampton County, where it had always been owned until CWF acquired it. The stand was produced by an artisan who relied only minimally on formal proportional systems. Evidence for this conclusion is seen in the object's thick-necked baluster-form column, the unusually deep cove molding at its base, and the idiosyncratic shape of its cabriole legs. Structural details reinforce rural production as well. The legs are attached to the pillar with mortise-and-tenon joints instead of sliding dovetails, the joint used on most urban tea tables and stands. In fact, the scribe lines for the mortises are still visible on the lower part of the column, as are the wooden pins that secure each joint. Finally, the stand's construction in black walnut instead of mahogany, which had long been the cabinet wood of choice in most urban centers, also points to production in a rural shop. Despite the artisan's ignorance or perhaps conscious avoidance of urban design principles, he produced a piece of furniture that was sound, serviceable, and in all likelihood fashionable by local standards.

InscribedNone.
MarkingsNone.
ProvenanceThe stand descended in the Tyler, Rochelle, Thomas, and Shands families of Courtland, Southampton Co., Va. It was purchased by CWF in 1993 from the estate of Bessie Shands.