Desk and Bookcase

Date1760-1790

OriginAmerica, Massachusetts, Essex County

MediumMahogany, white pine, and birch

DimensionsOH: 60 7/8"; OW: 41 1/2"; OD: 20 1/4"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1930-145

DescriptionAppearance: Desk and bookcase in two parts: short, rectangular top section with flat top and molded cornice; pair of serpentine paneled doors each with a long brass keyhole escutcheon; doors hinged at either side opening to reveal a single adjustable shelf; top of lower section has molded edge to receive upper section; fall front opens to reveal an interior fitted with a bottom row of longer drawers on either side of a small drawer above which are three sets of two drawers alternating with two pairs of pigeon holes with scalloped tops and dividers; small brass bound keyhole in left side of middle right hand drawer; fall front supported by a pair of lopers each with a single brass knob in center; four full length graduated drawers, each with a pair of original brasses and central escutcheon plate; bottom drawer has escutcheon plate but never had a lock; molded base supported by four straight bracket feet with scalloped inside edges; shell-carved drop with scrolled sides.

Construction:
Bookcase: the white pine top and bottom are dovetailed to the sides. The two horizontal board white pine back is nailed into rabbets in the top and mahogany sides and to the edge of the bottom. The bottom is faced with mahogany to which a full width mahogany rail is glued, forming a rabbet to receive the two doors.
The top rail is glued and probably nailed to the front edge of the top and leading edges of the sides, and extends ¼” below the crown molding. An interior top rests in dados in the sides, its underside extending ¼” below the top rail to form a rabbet to receive the top edge of the doors. The mitered one-piece crown molding is nailed to the sides and top rail.

The removable white pine shelf is faced with mahogany and slides into any of three pairs of dados in the sides.

The rails of the mahogany cabinet doors are through tenoned to the stiles. The shaped interior edges of the stiles and rails are rabbeted on the back to receive the flat panels. Early square nails in the interior edges of the rabbets hold the panels in place. Doors are joined to the sides with inset butt hinges.

On the desk, the white pine top is half-blind dovetailed to the mahogany sides which are in turn dovetailed to the white pine bottom. The front facing edges of the sides are faced with mahogany to cover the joining of the drawer blades. Shaped molding is nailed to the edges of the top to secure the bookcase.
The mahogany fixed writing surface rests in dados as does, behind it, the white pine full depth dustboard which is faced with molded mahogany that is in turn rabbeted to lap-join the writing surface at a slightly elevated level. The dustboard provides support for interior drawers of the desk. A second white pine shelf with mahogany facing is similarly dadoed into the sides above the bottom drawers and functions as the floor for the pigeon holes and upper interior drawers. The drawer and pigeon hole supports and dividers are dadoed into the case sides, top, shelf, dustboard and each other. Pigeon hole valances are secured from behind by rectangular glue blocks.

The mahogany fallboard with tenoned end-battens is rabbeted on three sides, chamfered on the bottom outside edge and joined to the fixed writing surface with inset butt hinges.

The three mahogany drawer blades with beaded edges, backed by white pine, are joined to the sides with dados or possibly sliding dovetails. Drawer blade for the bottom drawer is nailed to the bottom.

Vertical dividers for the mahogany lopers are nailed into shallow dados from above to the writing surface and from the underside to the top drawer blade. Drawer supports are glued and nailed into dados in the sides behind the blades, with drawer supports for the bottom drawer nailed to the case bottom board. Drawer guides for the upper drawer are glued to the upper surface of the drawer support. Vertical drawer stops are glued to the sides behind the blades, or in the case of the top drawer, to the underside of the dustboard. Pegs are tenoned into the sides of lopers as stops. Most of the drawer supports, guides and stops are modern.
Birch lopers are tenoned to mahogany ends.

Beaded mahogany strips are inset in the sides surrounding the drawers and lopers.

The shaped bracket feet are screwed to the bottom of the case. The vertical glue blocks behind them are probably nailed to the bottom and the flanking horizontal blocks are glued to the bracket feet. Front bracket feet are joined with miter. The center carved shell is glued to the base molding and to a rectangular block that is in turn glued to the case bottom. The base molding is glued and nailed to the edges of the sides and bottom and mitered at front corners.

Drawers are of dovetail construction with bottoms chamfered to fit in dados in the front and sides, and nailed from the bottoms to the backs. Bottom grain runs front to back with the exception of the two larger interior drawers in which the grain runs side to side. Drawer fronts are mahogany with sides, backs and bottoms of white pine.
InscribedModern numbers chalked on back.
ProvenanceEx Coll: L.G. Myers. Apparently acquired by him in Virginia.