Bureau Table

Dateca. 1775

OriginAmerica, Massachusetts, Boston area

MediumMahogany with white pine

DimensionsOH: 28 3/4"; OW: 32 1/2"; OD; 20 1/4"

Credit LineGift of Mrs. Francis Garvan.

Object number1958-627

DescriptionAppearance: Bureau table with rounded blocked drawer fronts and recessed kneehole at center front; Rectangular top with molded front and side edges has projections along the front conforming to the blocked drawers below; table has one long drawer with two rounded blocked sections over two tiers of three graduated blocked drawers with a shaped valence drawer between them over the recessed kneehole that contains a removable cabinet with an arched fielded paneled door and one shelf inside; each tier of drawers has two bracket feet; drawers have thumbnail molding and top of sides of each drawer finished with double beading; brass pulls are replaced.

Construction:
The two-board walnut sides are half-blind dovetailed to the two-board walnut top and dovetailed to the two board white pine bottom. The bottom is “U” shaped, extending on each side under the side drawers. The top is shaped in front with an integral molding and has matching side molding attached with a miter joint and nails The side moldings are augmented on the underside with a small glued cove molding that covers evidence of the dovetails.

The walnut drawer blade and butt joined full depth white pine dust board supporting the upper drawer is dovetailed to the case sides at the front with a dado behind. The sides of the knee-hole are joined to the underside of the drawer blade with exposed dovetails backed with dados, and set in dados in the bottom. The drawer blades for the upper side drawers are joined to the case sides and knee-hole sides with exposed dovetails possibly backed by dados. Drawer supports immediately behind the blades are nailed to the sides. Bottom drawers rest on the case bottom. The thin white pine shelf supporting the shallow drawer at the top of the knee-hole is set in dados in the knee-hole sides. The top and the drawer blades are shaped to match the bold rounded block fronts of the drawers and relieved on the underside in the center for lock tongues.

The exposed knee-hole sides are walnut backed with white pine.

Behind the knee hole, its extended sides (white pine) and the underside of the shallow drawer shelf form the compartment for the removable cupboard. Stop blocks for the cupboard are glued to the bottom of the compartment at the back.

Rectangular 2” wide blocks are nailed to the edges of the underside of the bottom (except a 14” span at the center of the back) forming an interior frame. The blocks are mitered at the corners except at the back. Mitered base molding is nailed to the front and side edges of the bottom and to the interior frame and shaped under the bottom drawers to match the curvature of the drawers.

Mitered front bracket feet are glued to the underside of the moldings and to vertical blocks in the interior corners that extend from the underside of the interior frame to the floor. The vertical block is missing on the proper right (PR) interior foot. Rectangular horizontal glue blocks joining the bracket feet to the interior frame butt join the vertical blocks. An additional walnut block matches the curvature of the bottom drawer blades and is glued to the interior frame and bracket feet. Rear facing white pine bracket feet are glued to the underside of the interior frame and set in dados in the side facing shaped walnut feet which are in turn glued to the underside of the base molding. Rectangular horizontal glue blocks further secure both to the underside of the interior frame.

The sides of the removable interior cabinet are dovetailed to the top and bottom and the back nailed from the back to the edges of the top, bottom and sides. All are white pine. The rails of the walnut front are through tenoned (with wedges) to the sides. A thin wedge shaped walnut strip is nailed to the outer edge of the PL stile (perhaps to compensate for later shrinkage). Triangular glue blocks join the front facade to the sides, top and bottom. The shelf is set in dados in the sides. The rails of the door are through-tenoned to the stiles. The block front panel is chamfered and held in dados with the front of the dado mitered quarter rounds integral with the panel. Early but replaced brass hinges are nailed and have one screw in each section, lock missing, escutcheon is replaced.

Drawers are of dovetail construction with bottoms nailed into rabbets in the front and into the edges of the backs and sides from below. All drawers with the exception of the small, shallow center drawer have runners (some replaced) that are nailed from below to the drawer sides. Drawer front edges over-lap. The drawer fronts are single piece walnut, secondary woods are white pine. Drawer bottoms are front to back grained. Drawer locks are possibly original, brasses are old but not original.
MarkingsRoman numerals on drawer sides