A Federal Mahogany Sideboard, Baltimore, c.1790



a choice Baltimore Federal inlaid mahogany sideboard; highly figured "plum pudding" mahogany veneers are accented by figured lightwood banding (possibly sumac); the sophisticated "honeysuckle" and elipse bellflowers are of well documented Baltimore origin and probable manufacture, versus the one-piece "sawtooth" or wraparound "boomerang" bellflowers seen on more provincial Baltimore-influenced examples as well as those from Philadelphia and New York; identical leg inlays can be seen on several examples in the Baltimore Museum of Art's 1947 catalogue Baltimore Furniture, 1760-1810, one of which recently sold at Ken Farmer Auctions; the secondary woods are tulip poplar and white pine; a serpentine Baltimore sideboard with what appears to be the same figured lightwood banding can be seen in Edgar Miller's American Antique Furniture, fig. 954; in excellent structural condition with veneer shrinkage repairs to the "breadboard" ends of doors, some cuff replacement, old plugs to screw holes from a 19th Century brass back-splash gallery, felt lining the silver drawer, some minor age-commensurate veneer patching, and replaced brasses respecting the original post holes; directly out of the Jenkins Family of Baltimore; dimensions: 39 1/2" t. x 71 3/4" w. x 27 3/4" d.

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$37,000

    

 

one-piece "sawtooth"

 

wraparound "boomerang"

 


The leg of this Federal period Baltimore Pembroke table graced the cover of the Farmer auction catalog. The circa 1790 mahogany table is inlaid with strands of five-lobed bellflowers descending on the outside faces of each leg. There is extensive string inlay on each leg, as well as along the edge and perimeter of the top. The square tapered legs exhibit an inlaid cuff. The skirt is also decorated with a perimeter string rectangle and a lower band of diamond-shaped inlay. The table measures 28" x 33¾" x 20½" with its leaves down. It displays an old refinished surface, and much of the cuff inlay is missing. The catalog notes that this table was part of an exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Art, The Furniture of Baltimore, 1760-1810. The table brought $18,975 (est. $20,000/30,000) from a bidder in the room. Farmer photo. Ken Farmer Auctions & Appraisals, LLC, Radford, VA, August 16-17, 2008.

(courtesy www.maineantiquedigest.com)

 


Atlanta, Georgia, dealer Deanne Levison, bidding from the back of the salesroom, paid $27,600 for a serpentine-front Federal card table probably made in Baltimore but possibly from Philadelphia. The estimate was $5000/ 8000. The serpentine form is more common in Philadelphia, but the inlay is similar to that on Baltimore sideboards. Christie's, New York City, Americana auction, October 8, 1998.

(courtesy www.maineantiquedigest.com)

 

private Baltimore collection

 

A Maryland sideboard of the same ovolo/serpentine form is in the collection of The Hammond Harwood House in Annapolis, Maryland.

(courtesy www.hammondharwoodhouse.org)