Images(5)

Desk

Date1797

Artist/Maker Alfred Moss

OriginAmerica, Virginia, Sussex County

MediumBlack walnut; yellow pine and oak (secondary)

DimensionsOH: 43"; OW: 40 1/2"; OD (closed): 22 1/4"; OD (open): 35 3/4"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1998-13

DescriptionAppearance: Slant-front desk with four graduated drawers with beaded edges, brass oval keyhole escutcheons and bail and rosette drawer pulls; top drawer flanked by full height lopers with beaded edges and brass pulls; molded base molding over shapely ogee bracket feet; desk interior composed of a central prospect door over a small drawer flanked on either side by three pigeon holes (without valences) over two small drawers over one long drawer; interior desk drawers have a single round knob each; all brass hardware appears original.

Construction: Top board is half-lapped and dovetailed to the side boards and the bottom board is dovetailed to the same; four vertical backboards are lapped to each other and nailed in rabbets along the top, sides and bottom boards; hinged writing surface is composed of a single board with two mitered batten ends; a walnut fixed writing surface backed by yellow pine beneath the interior drawers is slid into a dado in the case sides from the back; two horizontal glue blocks are glued to the underside of the writing surface at the back; 3/4 depth, full thickness yellow pine dust boards faced with 1/4" walnut are slid into dados in the case sides from the rear; walnut vertical dividers flanking the top drawer are mortised and tenoned into the underside of the writing surface and top of the dust board below and backed by yellow pine drawer guides that are nailed into the top of the dust board; vertical glue blocks are nailed to the case sides at the rear of each drawer to act as drawer stops; large drawers have standard dovetail construction and have drawer bottoms (with grain running side to side) nailed into rabbets along the front and sides and to the bottom edges of the drawer backs; two long blocks are glued to the bottom along the front edge at the ends, and (replaced) drawer runners are glued along the sides; small and large interior drawers have standard dovetail construction with drawer bottoms (running front to back on the small drawers and side to side on the large ones) glued into rabbets around the front, sides, and backs; base molding is nailed to the front and side edges of the bottom board and extends below the bottom board; thin, short boards are glued to the bottom at each corner, supporting the base molding; bracket feet are supported by a vertical triangular glue block flanked by two horizontal triangular glue blocks; rear feet are nailed to the underside of the bottom.

Woods: Primary wood is black walnut. All secondary wood is yellow pine with the exception of the interior drawer sides which are oak.
Inscribed"Anthony Mason July 1797/ Made by Alfred Moss/ 25 Dollars" inscribed in ink on the underside of an interior desk drawer.