Images(9)

Desk and Bookcase

Date1700-1730

OriginEngland

MediumOak, deal

DimensionsOH:83 1/4"; OW:39"; OD:23 1/2"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1936-97

DescriptionAppearance:
Desk; Multi-molded double arched hood faced with single, multi-molded arch on either side; square plinths at either side of hood; straight sides; front composed of arched paneled doors with double bead molding around edge; doors hinged at either side with pair of rococo, pierced brass escutcheons (replaced) along inside edge at center; center of each door has applied panel with molded and beveled sides and bottom, and arched and scrolled top; doors open to reveal series a shelf over a central compartment (added) with 15 pigeon holes flanked on either side by three vertical slots with two movable partions and a stack of three pigeon holes; all over a row of nine pigeon holes over three blocked and serpentine drawers with single brass pulls; pair of candle slides below doors with a single, but not similar, brass pull on each; LOWER SECTION: flat top with molded edge to receive upper section; flat lid with applied molding around three sides and applied, molded book rest at base; single pierced escutcheon at center top; pair of rectangular supports with plain, square faces and brass knobs, pull out to support lid; interior of desk has stepped section on either side with two incurving drawers on each side; center section at rear composed of six pigeonholes with applied, arched tops; each set of three pigeonholes above a single drawer with blocked, serpentine front and brass pulls; quarter round molding below drawers above sliding panel which opens to reveal well with three concealed drawers across front; band of heavy molding across front of desk separates desk area from drawers below; pair of small drawers above two full-length, graduated drawers; each drawer with a pair of brass bail pulls and central oval escutcheon; drawers surrounded by double bead molding around sides and top except above top drawer and below bottom drawer; simple base molding above four ball feet (replaced).

Construction:
UPPER SECTION
The double-arched front upper rail is nailed to the upper edge of the single board sides. The double-arched back upper rail is chamfered on the inside and nailed from the rear into rabbets in the rear edges of the sides. The two vertical (modern) backboards are chamfered along the sides and top and nailed into rabbets in the rear edge of the sides and to the rear edge of the bottom board and top interior shelf.

The case sides are half-blind dovetailed to the case bottom and rest on a frame which consists of a front rail miter-joined to two side rails and butt-joined to the extended back boards. The frame is secured to the bottom with front to back rectangular glue blocks (side rails) and three rectangular glue blocks (front rail). The front rail of the frame is relieved for two candle slides supported and guided by rabbeted rails that are nailed to the underside of the bottom. Candle slide stops are also nailed to the underside of the bottom. The oak slides are faced with horizontally grained oak, with unmatched pulls, the proper left pull matches the interior drawer pulls.

The front to back thin top boards are nailed to the top edges of the front and back double arch upper rails. Fabric (linen?) has been glued to the top boards.

The tops of the case sides are roughly shaped and chamfered in an apparent attempt to blend with the arched two-part cornice moldings. The case sides extend slightly above the cornice molding. The miter joined cornice moldings are glued and possibly nailed to each other and to the sides and the front rail. Square plinths (proper right replaced) are glued to the top of the cornice molding at the corners. The tops of the of the four top moldings are relieved towards each end with unexplained deep pockets.

The top and bottom rails of the doors are tenoned to the stiles. Shaped panels supported on the back by mitered quarter round moldings nailed to the interior edges of the stiles and rails, and rest in rabbets in the shaped mitered moldings glued to the front of the stiles and rails (supplemented with later nails). A miter joined double bead molding is glued to the face of the doors around the edges. Doors are hung with original recessed iron knife hinges, have replaced brass escutcheons, and a brass lock. Proper right door has original top and bottom brass slide bolts.

The bookcase interior contains three shelves or partitions which rest in dados in the sides. The top two shelves have double-beaded front edges. Below the bottom shelf are three serpentine fronted drawers that rest on the case bottom board. Between the lowest and middle shelf are nine pigeon holes. Between the top and middle shelf are two double-beaded vertical dividers separating a large center section, which originally had a movable shelf with three dadoed locations and now has a removable 15 pigeon-hole compartment, from two flanking side sections that each have a stack of three pigeon holes at the sides and two thin, removable, vertical dividers forming three vertical storage compartments. Pigeon-hole parts, vertical storage components and drawer dividers are set in dados in the bookcase bottom and sides and each other.

The removable 15 pigeon-hole section in the center compartment is a later addition. Its sides, top and bottom are dovetailed to each other and its pigeonholes are set in dados in its top, bottom, sides and each other and nailed.

Interior drawers have standard dovetail construction with side-to-side bottom boards in rabbets in the front and sides and nailed to the front rabbet and to the underside of the back.

LOWER SECTION.
The two board sides are half-blind dovetailed to the single board top and three board bottom. The back of the case is comprised of four vertical boards (modern) nailed to the rear of the top, bottom, and in rabbets in the sides.

The front portion of the fixed writing surface, deal bottom board of the desk interior compartment, and full depth deal dust boards are all in dados in the case sides. The vertical front rail between the fixed writing surface and desk interior compartment bottom board is half-blind dovetailed into the case sides and nailed from the underside to the desk interior compartment bottom board.

A vertical drawer divider is tenoned into the top of the top dust board and underside of the interior compartment bottom board. Oak lath (replaced; some missing) along the front and sides of the dust boards serves as the drawer runners.

Front and side ogee moldings are nailed to the top of the desk along the front and sides. A surbase molding is glued and nailed to the front edge of the desk interior compartment bottom board and to the case sides. A double bead molding is glued and nailed to the front edges of the dust boards, vertical drawer divider, and case sides below the surbase molding. The base molding is glued and nailed to the front edge of the case bottom board and sides and to blocks (triangular in front, square at rear) glued and nailed to the underside of the case bottom in the corners. A glue block further supports the front, center of the base molding. The ball feet (replaced, with evidence of former bracket feet, also possibly not original) are tenoned into the blocks with round tenons. The round tenons extend through the case bottom board.

Case drawers are of standard dovetail construction with front to back grained bottoms nailed into rabbets in the front and to the underside edge of the backs. Replaced runners sandwich the bottom boards and are nailed to the sides with nails and sprigs.
The fallboard is comprised of a central writing surface tongue and groove joined to side rails miter joined to a front rail. A book rail and a mitered edge molding are nailed to the surface of the fallboard. The fall board is joined to the sides with recessed knife hinges.

Desk interior

Thin ¼” oak boards are glued cross-grained to the interior of the sides above the fixed writing surface and serve as a support for the fall board when closed.
Front portion of the fixed writing surface is in dados in the case sides. Side rails of the fixed writing surface are tenoned to the rear of the front portion, dadoed to the case sides, and nailed to the back from the back (modern nails). The side rails are rabbeted on the inside edges to provide support for the sliding center section.

Below the fixed writing surface is a compartment accessed by the sliding center section. A 2 ½” wide side-to-side 1” deal board is glued to the top of the compartment bottom board behind the front rail; thin vertical boards are nailed to the rear edge of this board and to a strip nailed to the rear edge of the front portion of the writing surface that also creates a rabbet to support the sliding center section. A panel that slides into “V” shaped dadoes in these vertical boards can be removed to reveal a space for three secret drawers along the front of the compartment. Concealed drawers are oak, of glued construction, and have no hardware. The two side drawers have finger notches in the ends of the sides to facilitate removal.

The front rail is notched on the upper corners for the lopers (proper right replaced). Ends of lopers are attached (with screw from brass knob?) to the loper and extend past the end of the loper towards sides of case. Full depth vertical deal boards separate the lopers from the main section of the compartment. The proper left board is nailed with a single wrought nail into the loper support block, the proper right has chamfered glue blocks. Full depth loper supports are glued to the compartment bottom and full length guides are glued along the case sides to the supports.

Desk interior has three stepped sections along each side. Serpentine dividers for the “stepped drawer” sections are set in dados in the fixed writing surface and underside of the case top. Shelves supporting each drawer are set in dados in the dividers and the thin board glued to the interiors of the case sides.

Behind the bottom drawer on each side are two secret rectangular drawers. The foremost is constructed with one thin 11 ½” end that extends along the case side in a recess created by the thin board glued to the same. The drawer back is dovetailed to this long side; the drawer front is nailed to the same, and the other end is dovetailed to the front and back. The bottom board is nailed to the underside of the front, sides, and ends. There is a wooden spring nailed to the drawer back.

The second secret drawers are behind the first and are accessible from the rear of the serpentine dividers when the central drawers are removed. The secret drawers rests on deal blocks (proper left replaced) that also function as stops for the first secret drawers. These drawers are of nailed construction, and each has one wrought nail drawer pull on an end. One drawer (proper right) has a rectangular glue block on the back as a stop. These two drawers are not identical sizes. The opening to the secret drawer compartment is hidden by a sliding center portion of the thin rails that are glued and nailed to the interior face of the serpentine dividers. There are finger notches at the front ends of the sliding sections.

Center portion of the desk interior has six pigeon holes over two serpentine fronted drawers. These are all supported by a board with a quarter round molded front edge set in slots formed by the upper surface of the fixed writing surface side rails and thin rails glued to the inner sides of the serpentine dividers. The vertical divider between the central drawers is set in dadoes in the supporting board and in the underside of the pigeonhole shelf. The pigeonhole dividers are set in dados in the pigeonhole shelf and underside of the case top. Their applied valances are the glued to the pigeon hole sides and underside of the top. (1 valance missing; 2 not attached.)

The small interior desk drawers desk drawers are of standard dovetail construction with front-to-back oriented bottoms glued into rabbets in the sides, nailed into rabbets in the fronts and nailed to the underside of the back. The proper left lower drawer has three front compartments with dividers nailed with sprigs to the front, sides and each other. The two larger interior drawers are of standard dovetail construction with side to side oriented bottoms in rabbets in the front and sides and nailed into the front rabbet and to the underside of the back.
InscribedChalk on the inside of the bookcase door panels : “2” on the proper right door and “2/ 2 [12] 6” on the proper left door.
15-pigeon hole compartment inscribed in pencil “Top” on the top board; “Bottom” along the bottom of the proper left side, “Bottom” on the underside of the bottom board; and “Left End” and “Bottom” on the proper right side.
Chalk on the rear of the secret drawers with the long ends and wooden springs. “1” in a triangle on the proper left. A triangle is visible on the rear of the proper right, but the numeral is not clear.
“1732” painted on top of proper left loper (old CWF accession number).
MarkingsThere are remnants of paper with typewritten letters glued to the front, bottom edges of each pigeon hole in the center and side sections of the bookcase.