Images(5)

Escritoire

Date1700-1720

OriginAmerica, Mid-Atlantic or Virginia, Eastern (possibly)

MediumPrimary: walnut; Secondary: drawer and case framing consist of various combinations of white oak, Eastern red cedar, Sweet gum, yellow pine, red pine, and spruce (modern)

DimensionsOH: 62"; OW: 42 1/4"; OD: 22 1/8"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1960-667

DescriptionAppearance: Desk & bookcase in 2 sections: flat, rectangular top with stepped moldings at side and front above wide band of bolection molding; front bolection molding pulls out to reveal full-length drawer; sides of top section each composed of single fielded panel; square fall-front panel at front with fielded panel on exterior; fall front hinged at base on original butterfly hinges and braced when down by a pair of folding iron straps; interior of fall front forms writing surface when open and originally has a baize covered center section; interior of desk fitted with 5 pigeonholes, 14 drawers and a central compartment with drawer; concealed compartments on either side of well beneath central bottom drawer fitted with 4 square and 2 T-shaped drawers; all drawers in top section (except secret drawers) fitted with a single brass knob pull; the inner bottom right hand drawer is fitted with dividers; central door in interior fitted with single, domed, circular keyhole escutcheon plate which is a modern replacement; Bottom section: Wide band of stepped moldings at sides and front to receive upper section; each side composed of a fielded panel; front has a pair of small drawers above 2 full length drawers; all drawers separated by dividers with applied strips of semi-arch moldings; narrow band of base molding; desk supported on 4 rectangular feet, which are merely continuation of corner stiles.

Construction:
Upper Case: Sides have panelled construction with stiles extending the full height with rails tenoned and pegged between stiles at the base and about 3/4 of the way up the stiles; recessed panel probably in dados in rails and stiles, flat on exterior (interior not visible due to desk construction) quarter round molding nailed in recess around perimeter of panel; above panel on sides, bolection molding nailed to stiles; behind bolection molding on interior of case large blocks are glued filling the space at the top between the stiles; drawer guides are nailed across the blocks to the insides of the front and rear stiles; front and back top and bottom rails tenoned and pegged to side stiles; lathe laid (nailed?) on top of and extending past sides and front forms support for cornice molding; cornice molding nailed to tops of sides, top front rail, and lathe; case top boards nailed to lathe within cornice molding perimeter.

Drawer supports for frieze drawer nailed to the insides of the upper side rails.

Frieze drawer of nailed construction with sides set in rabbets in drawer front; bolection molding nailed to drawer front from inteiror; front to back oriented bottom boards nailed to underside of sides and back and to a rabbet in the front.

Bottom boards of case probably nailed to the underside of the lower back and front rails.

Vertical backboards are nailed in rabbets in the sides and to the top rail and to the bottom
rail.

The front rail below and supporting the frieze drawer is double tenoned into the side stiles, with a rabbet cut into the lower front edge to receive the writing surface when closed; an applied molding is nailed to this lower front rail and to the sides just below the bolection molding; the entire desk interior is lined with secondary wood sides with walnut fronts nailed to the sides which in turn support the top board of the desk interior that rests between the tops of the interior sides and the frieze drawer drawer supports; similar lining create a bottom board for the desk interior below the side drawers only; vertical and horizontal dividers for pigeon holes, prospect, and drawers are dadod into the desk interior linings and have half round moldings nailed to their front edges; quarter round moldings are nailed to the front edges of the interior linings.

There is a well below the bottom center drawer (replaced by CWF) the full height of the bottom front rail; bottom front rail is rabbeted along the front top edge to receive the writing surface when closed; bottom center drawer is supported by drawer supports nailed to the insides of the drawer dividers; those dividers are notched over the inside edge of the front bottom rail and rest on top of the back bottom rail; secret drawers are concealed in the cavity under the side drawers of the desk: on each side is a long narrow drawer with a T shaped extension dividing the drawer, notched over the back of the drawer and extending towards the case sides (one drawer replaced by CWF), square drawers (all replaced by CWF) are located on either side of the T shaped extension; modern panels with a groove in the center for the T shaped extension have been screwed to the bottom board of the case; prospect door, hinged with iron butterfly hinges, opens to reveal an open cavity with a medial shallow shelf at the rear (possibly suggesting a missing removable prospect cabinet that would have hidden said shelf and potential missing secret drawers.)

Secret drawers have fronts and backs nailed to the sides and bottoms nailed into rabbets on all four sides; T shaped drawers have divider as described above; a small woven tape (modern replacement) is nailed to the front of each drawer.

Interior desk drawers have nailed construction with sides nailed in rabbets in front and to back; bottoms (both front to back and side to side oriented grain on different drawers) nailed in rabbets in front and sides and to underside of backs; various woods are used inconsistently for the small drawers including red cedar for the bottoms and sides, some oak for sides, and pine, ash or chestnut, oak, and walnut for the backs, and walnut fronts.

Writing surface stiles and rails lapped with mitered joint on the exterior; it is unclear whether the stiles and rails might also be mortised and tenoned; raised front panel with moldings nailed around perimeter of recess to stiles and rails is probably in dados in stiles and rails; panel backed by pine boards (previoulsy covered in baize) toe nailed into rails and stiles; writing surface is hinged with two iron butt hinges to the lower front rail and with two elbow hinges to case sides.

Lower Case
Sides consist of rails tenoned and pegged to stiles with a floating panel in dados in ditto with a quarter round molding nailed within rails and stiles; top and bottom front and back rails are tenoned and possibly pegged to stiles; top and bottom boards are probably nailed to the front and back rails; mid moldings are nailed to the front rails, top of sides, and case top board.

Drawer blades are tenoned into the stiles; drawer supports are nailed to the front and back stiles; drawer guides for the top drawers are nailed at the top to the front and back stiles; the vertical drawer divider is tenoned into the drawer divider and the top rail; center drawer support and integral drawer guide is notched over the drawer blade and sits in a notch in the back of the vertical divider.

Base molding is nailed to teh bottom front rail and sides; half round and quarter round moldings are nailed around drawers to drawer blades, sides, top and bottom rails under mid molding and above base molding; case bottom nailed to rabbet in udnerside of front bottom rail and to underside of rear bottom rail; feet are extension of the side stiles (may be missing applied bracekt feet).

Backboards nailed in rabbets in sides and to top and bottom rails.

Drawers have sides half blind dovetailed to fronts and nailed to backs; front to back oriented bottom boards are nailed in rabbets in the front and sides and to the backs; runners have been added along the sides of the bottoms.

Label TextThe origin of this escriotire or scrutoir has been the subject of discussion since Colonial Williamsburg acquired it from England in 1960. The form is one that was quite popular in Britain during the late-17th through early-18th century. From the handful of American examples known and the 18th century American inventory references, we know the form was also present and produced in the colonies. Three other early 18th century American escritoires have been identified: one from Philadelphia (CWF 1958-468), one from Warren, Rhode Island (MFA Boston 2013.877), and one from King or Queens County, New York (Museum of the City of New York.)

Based on the woods and construction of this ecritoire, it was almost certainly made in America, possibly eastern Virginia.

The name of Thomas Skelton of Rockcliff, England and the date 1808 are are inscribed on the fall board of this escritoire. Associated receipts on the piece link other Skelton family members from Whitehaven, England. It is possible that a Richard Skelton, master of the ship "Nelson" from Whitehaven, brought the escritoire back with him from one of his voyages to the York and James Rivers of Virginia where he traveled for the tobacco trade.
Inscribed"Thos Skelten/ Rockliff/ July 1 180[8]/" and what looks to be "Thos Skelton" twice more written in ink on inside of fall front beneath the baize which originally covered the surface. Five scraps of paper found in secret compartment of desk. See Object Folder.