Images(3)

Slab Sideboard

Date1820-1845

Attributed to John Calvin Burgner

OriginAmerica, Tennessee, Greene County or Washington County

MediumCurly maple and tulip poplar

DimensionsOH: 46”; OW: 66 ¾”; OD: 23 5/8”

Credit LineMuseum Purchase, The Sara and Fred Hoyt Furniture Fund and The Friends of Colonial Williamsburg Collections Fund

Object number2018-277

DescriptionAppearance: Slab Sideboard with three large drawers, center drawer wider than side drawers; replaced round brass knobs pulls on drawers, single pull on outer drawers, two pulls on center drawer; inverted baluster form turned legs with ring and inverted baluster turned feet; rectangular top overhanging sides with shaped and scrolled side and rear back-splash dovetailed at rear corners.

Construction:
The case stiles are turned below the case bottom to form the integral legs. The sides, drawer blade and front rail are tenoned to the stiles. The drawer dividers are tenoned to the drawer blade and front rail. The top and bottom boards of the three board back are also tenoned to the stiles and the middle backboard is chamfered on the inner face and set in dados in the stiles and upper and lower backboards.

The top is secured to the front rail with six modern rectangular blocks each having two screws into the top and two screws into the rail. A singular identical block secures the top to each side. There is some evidence of earlier, now missing, glue blocks attaching the top and front rail and a single nail from the top at the front, center. The shaped back and side back-splashes are face nailed to the back and side edges of the top and dovetailed to each other at the rear corners.

The drawer supports are nailed to the back from the back and are tenoned to the drawer blade. Extensive wear on the underside indicates that the drawer supports have been flipped upside down. Drawer guides are nailed to the top of the interior drawer supports and on the sides, guides are positioned between the stiles and nailed in place through the drawer supports. Two rails above the drawers to prevent the drawers from tipping forward when open were nailed above the central drawer supports from the back (nails now missing) and tenoned to the back of the front rail.

The two bottom boards are spaced 1 ½” apart with rectangular blocks placed between them at each end that maintain that separation. The blocks are nailed from the underside to a ½” thick full width board which is nailed to the bottom boards’ undersides to cover the gap between them. The two bottom boards are nailed from the underside to the drawer guides.

The drawers are of dovetail construction with two-board side-to-side grained bottoms (boards of the PR [proper right] drawer are lap joined, the other drawers butt joined). Bottoms are chamfered on the underside edges to fit into dados in the fronts and sides. Triangular glue blocks and modern rectangular glue blocks are glued to the underside where the chamfered edges join the sides and back. PL drawer's rear tulip poplar bottom board is chamfered along its front edge, as though it was made to be the front bottom board, and has a glue block that presumably assisted with the butt joint with the rear of the actual front bottom board. This contruction looks original.

The front rail, drawer blade, drawer dividers case sides and drawer fronts are curly maple. The case top and its shaped sides and back, stiles/legs, center backboard, center bottom board and one of the two bottom boards of the PR drawer are tulip poplar. The other drawer bottom boards, drawer sides and backs, top and bottom backboards, case bottom boards and other secondary woods are yellow pine.
Label TextSideboards were a ubiquitous feature in elegant dining rooms of the early 19th century. Used for both service and storage, many sideboards had drawers and or cupboards from their top surfaces to the floor. Slab sideboards like this example had far less storage, focusing instead on a table-like form: a table with a few drawers on tall legs. The term "slab" typically indicated a marble top on a table during the 18th century and a number of slab sideboard tables from that period exist. But in the early 19th century, the term evolved to indicate a table form, perhaps with drawers, with a solid wooden or marble top. John C. Burgner's account book, which he began in 1825, includes both sideboards and slab sideboards, the latter being less expensive than the more complicated former.
InscribedGraphite inscriptions of upper case letters of the alphabet on the inside of the upper backboard, and graphite inscriptions of practice letters on the inside of the proper left side panel.

Graphite inscriptions on the underside of the center drawer bottom "1859" is written twice. Other words may be "John jr" and "Samuel" ( or "Am..l") but the handwriting is messy and unclear.
ProvenanceBy family tradition, this sideboard was purchased “from a member of the Burgner family out at Horse Creek.”

Late-20th century ownership by Mr. & Mrs. Thomas W. Overall prior to purchase by vendor at auction in 2008.