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Desk 2015-174
Desk
Desk 2015-174

Desk

Date1765-1780
OriginAmerica, Virginia, Williamsburg area
MediumCherry and yellow pine
DimensionsOH: 41 ¼”; OW: 41 ½”; OD (closed): 22 7/8”; OD (open): 36”
Credit LineGift of Susan W. Redd and Martha W. McMurran
Object number2015-174
DescriptionAppearance:
Slant front desk with four graduated drawers with thumbnail molded lipped drawers; top drawer flanked by full height lopers with rounded ends and brass knobs; quarter round base molding over straight bracket feet (replaced); fall board with mitered cleats on either end and thumbnail molded top and side edges; top of case has blind mitered dovetails; interior of desk has central prospect door flanked on either side by four pigeon holes over a row of two small drawers, all over three long drawers with longest drawer in center; behind prospect door is a shelf with a small drawer below; brass knobs on small drawers; double beaded dividers around prospect door and between courses of small and large drawers.

Construction:
The single board cherry top is joined to the two board cherry sides with blind mitered dovetails. The upper front edge of the top is chamfered to match the angled top edge of the sides. The sides are dovetailed to the two board yellow pine bottom.

The drawer blades are set in dados in the sides (or possibly sliding half-dovetails). They are butt joined to three quarter depth full-board dust boards set in the same dados. The fixed cherry writing surface is set in dados in the side, possibly with sliding dovetails at the front. The writing surface is butt joined at the back to the yellow pine floor for the compartment section of the desk which is set in the same dados and is stained on its leading (visible) edge to blend with the cherry writing surface. Loper dividers are notched (top and bottom) at the front behind which they are set in dados in the underside of the writing surface and the top drawer blade/dust board; replaced guides behind the dividers are set in the continuation of the dust board dados.

The back is comprised of four vertical butt joined yellow pine boards nailed into rabbets in the top and sides and nailed from the back to the edge of the bottom

The cherry lopers show traces of probable thumbnail molded edges although the ends are now rounded . A modern screw and nails have been placed in the back edge of the lopers as stops. A hole for a now missing pull stop is 4” from the back of each loper. The two board cherry fallboard has mitered cleats on both ends and thumbnail molded top and side edges. The bottom board of the two board fallboard is replaced and is probably simply glued in place. The upper board is probably tenoned to the cleats. The fallboard is currently detached, but joins to the fixed writing surface with (replaced) butt hinges.

All elements of the interior desk compartments are of cherry backed with yellow pine. The drawer shelves, drawer dividers, prospect sides and shelf and pigeon hole shelves and dividers are set in dados in the case top, sides and each other. Drawer stops are glued to the drawer shelves at the back of each drawer. The unembellished prospect door is attached to the prospect side with butt hinges.

Front to back boards are nailed to the underside of the case bottom on each side flush with the outer edge of the sides. They are miter joined to two boards that are also nailed to the bottom flush with its leading edge. Blocks are glued to the bottom at the inner corner of the miters. A medial board (later addition) is nailed to the underside of the bottom under the butt joining of its two boards. Return boards are nailed to the underside of the bottom at the back. These boards form a frame to which large glue blocks (quarter round in front and triangular in back) are glued and nailed. The front glue blocks may be original, the rear glue blocks are replaced. A two piece cherry base molding (1” x ¾” board topped with a quarter round) is mitered and nailed to the front and side edges of the bottom and applied boards. Mitered bracket feet are glued and screwed to the base molding from the underside, and glued to the glue blocks. The bracket feet are the same in the front and back including those facing the back. The back facing feet are glued to the glue blocks and the return boards of the frame under the bottom. With the possible exception of the proper right rear facing back bracket, all bracket feet are replaced.

The thumbnail molded lipped graduated case drawers and unembellished interior desk drawers have cherry fronts and yellow pine secondary woods. They are of the same dovetail construction with bottoms nailed into rabbets in the fronts and sides and into the bottom edge of the backs from the underside. Bottoms are side to side grained; graduated case drawers have two board bottoms, interior desk drawers have single board bottoms. There is no evidence of any additional runners added to the case drawer bottoms suggesting that the drawers ran on the bottoms and/or bottom edges of the drawer sides.
InscribedInscriptions: script “L B” scratched into underside of a medium drawer bottom. “W” scratched into the underside of the central large drawer bottom; (not yet discerned) graphite inscription on underside of yellow pine writing interior; “1”, “2”, and “3” pencil inscriptions on top of first, second, and third dust boards; chalk orientation marks (dashes) on inside of backboards at each board joint.
ProvenanceThis desk descended in the Gregory and Warburton family of James City County and Williamsburg, Virginia. According to the donors, it was owned by their father, John Gregory Warburton’s (1896-1966) first cousin Robert Warburton before coming to their family. Genealogy of the Warburton family indicates that Robert’s father was John Cowles Warburton (1859-1935).

Provenance: possible descent in Gregory and Warburton family to Robert Warburton; to first cousin John Gregory Warburton (1896-1966); to daughters Martha Warburton McMurran and Susan Gregory Redd.