Images(5)

Lady's Work Table

Dateca. 1820

OriginAmerica, South Carolina, Upcountry (possibly)

MediumBlack walnut, yellow pine back, and holly (by eye).

DimensionsOH: 33 1/4"; OW: 25"; OD: 18 3/4"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1930-89

DescriptionAppearance: Rectangular work table with unmolded overhanging top; front edge of top inlaid with two parallel lightwood strings, side and rear edges plain; three full-width drawers, the uppermost not separated from the table top by a drawer blade; top drawer with lock and inlaid diamond-shaped escutcheon; second and third drawers shallower than top drawer and not lockable; second drawer provided with removable interior dividers; drawer fronts have string inlay in rectangular pattern with astragal ends and pairs of brass knobs; flush fitting drawer fronts not molded or beaded; four simply turned legs; each front leg stile has a row of three ovoid inlays with pointed ends.

Construction: Two-board, butt-joined top secured to frame with wooden pins driven from above; drawer blades and single board back and sides tenoned into legs; case joints not pinned; drawer runners and drawer guides nailed into case sides; drawer bottoms beveled, set into grooves on front and sides, and nailed at back; rear corners of drawers beveled; other drawer construction standard; partitions in second drawer are simple notch construction and are removable.

Materials: Black walnut top, sides, drawer blades, drawer fronts, and legs; yellow pine back, drawer linings, runners, and drawer guides; lightwood inlay.
Label TextWhile smaller work tables and those with castors were finished on all sides and easily moved where needed, this fashionable but hefty example with its unfinished yellow pine backboard likely remained in place against a wall. Working in a rural region of the South, the cabinetmaker inserted thick dividers into the middle drawer, creating 18 small compartments and two larger ones. Perhaps used to segregate threads or small implements, these utilitarian dividers echo the delicate tray of lidded compartments in the Charleston work table (1994-22).
InscribedFaint pencil inscriptions on drawer backs associated with numbering of drawers.
MarkingsThe number 4 is scratched onto the inside of the second drawer front several times.
ProvenancePurchased from a Virginia dealer in southern furniture.