Candlestand

Date1810-1830

MediumMaple, iron, and paint

DimensionsOH: 27 7/8"; OW: 19 5/8"; OD:19 1/4"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1974.2000.3

DescriptionAppearance: Square table top on vase shaped pillar, suported by tripod base with three cabriole legs with pad feet.

Construction: The top is secured to a batten on the underside by screws, the top of the pillar is attached to the batten with a round tenon and a pin, and the legs are tenoned into the pillar and secured at the bottom by three sheet-iron straps and nails.
Label TextThis stand is constructed of maple, a hardwood prized by New England cabinetmakers for its excellent turning characteristics and attractive figure. However, rather than exploit the decorative potential of the maple grain, the stand was painted with brushes and graining combs to suggest rosewood which was a fashionable cabinet wood in the 1820s and 1830s.

Probably during the late 1860s when rosewood graining was less popular, a piece of padded black cloth was added to cover the top of the stand.
MarkingsInk from newspaper that possibly was used as padding under a later fabric cover on top was transfered to the varnish layer. Little more than "1867"--possibly the year the cover was added--is legible.
ProvenanceJohn Christoffel, Richmond, Va