Pair Neo-Classical Pier Tables with Marble Tops

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Pair Neo-Classical Pier Tables with Marble Tops

About the Item

Pair Neo-Classical Pier tables, about 1825 Boston Each, mahogany (secondary woods: chestnut and pine), partially ebonized, with ormolu mounts and marble tops Each, 37 1/8 in. high x 47 7/8 in. wide x 17 3/4 in. deep EX COLL.: Henrietta Atwater Goldthwait (1896–1998) and Joel Addison Goldthwait (1895–1985); to Estate of Henrietta Atwater Goldthwait, until 1998; to sale, Kenneth Van Blarcom Auctions, Natick, Massachusetts, April 12–13, 1998; to private collection, until the present Pairs of American Neo-classical pier, or console, tables are extremely rare, whether from Boston, New York, or Philadelphia, likely because they were often separated and descended separately as they passed from generation to generation. This pair of Boston pier tables is a new discovery and joins only a few other pairs of Boston pier tables that have remained together. One pair bears the stenciled label of the firm of [Thomas] Emmons & [George] Archbald (active 1814–25), a preeminent Boston cabinetmaker of the period. They are now in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Page Talbott, “Boston Empire Furniture, Part I,” The Magazine Antiques CVII [May 1975], p. 878 figs. 1 and 2). A second pair was made for Nathan Appleton’s townhouse at 39 Beacon Street, Boston, and is now in a private collection (Stuart P. Feld, Boston in the Age of Neo-Classicism, 1810–1840, exhib. cat. [New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 1999], pp. 2, 47 no. 14). A third pair, made for Oliver Eldridge, of Leverett Street, Boston, is attributed to Emmons & Archbald. It is in the collection of Hirschl & Adler Galleries (Elizabeth Feld and Stuart P. Feld, Very Rich & Handsome, American Neo-Classical Decorative Arts exhib. cat. [New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2014], pp. 40–41 cat. 14). Another pair, with white marble columns, formerly in a northeastern private collection, remains unpublished. A pair of tables, now divided between the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, and a private collection, is documented through a bill of sale dated October 8, 1818, from the firm of Vose and Coates and Company (active 1805–19) to Mr. John Williams of Roxbury, Massachusetts (Robert D. Mussey, Jr., and Clark Pearce, Rather Elegant Than Showy, The Classical Furniture of Isaac Vose [Boston: The Massachusetts Historical Society, in association with David R. Godine, 2018], p.68 fig 83). The present pair of tables demonstrates the ultimate refinement and quality of Boston cabinetmaking of this period. On a substrate of chestnut and pine they are veneered with mahogany of the finest quality and the flanking columns are highlighted with finely chased imported French ormolu capitals and bases of the best quality. The tables once belonged to Joel Addison Goldthwait and his wife Henrietta Atwater Goldthwait of Medfield, Massachusetts, and subsequently Mrs. Goldthwait until her death in 1998. At the time of her death she lived on Longacre Farm, at 101 Main Street, her father-in-law’s former summer home. She bequeathed a sixty-acre parcel of the property to the Town of Medfield upon her death. Henrietta’s father had been in the hardware manufactory business in Bridgeport, Connecticut and summered in Marblehead. Mr. Goldthwait was descended from at least five generations of Goldthwaits from Marblehead, Danvers, Salem, and, later, Boston, Massachusetts. It is therefore likely that the pair of pier tables had long descended in the Goldthwait family, and that Henrietta and Joel had inherited them upon his father’s passing along with the house and property. A study of family probate files would, perhaps, reveal their inclusion in an inventory or will. Condition: The tables have survived in excellent condition. A few small chips on the mahogany veneers have been restored. The mahogany surfaces have been lightly cleaned, and they and the original ebony surrounds to the mirrors have been French polished to replicate their original surface. The ormolu caps and bases have been lightly cleaned. The mirror plate is of uncertain age. The marble tops are modern replacements.

Dimensions:
Height: 37.13 in (94.32 cm)Width: 47.88 in (121.62 cm)Depth: 17.75 in (45.09 cm)
Sold As:
Set of 2
Style:
American Classical (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Mahogany,Marble,Wood
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
1820-1829
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1825
Condition:
Replacements made: The marble tops are modern replacements. Mirror plate is old, but of unknown age. Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use. A few small chips on the mahogany veneers have been restored. Mahogany surfaces lightly cleaned, French polished, ormolu caps and bases cleaned, mirror plate old, but of unknown age, marble tops replaced.
Seller Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
Seller: FAPG 21089D.0051stDibs: LU903228816162