Featured Tavern Table

Well, you know, just sayin, those small taven tables are very handy around the house in many ways & fit well into the modern world. I have 3 or 4 of them around here so not in the market for more but, if i need a lamp, side, plant, bla bla bla table, hard to go wrong at $160.

 

That happens sometimes. But Illielee is a regular on the forum.

 

lol, yeah, didn't really matter, i chattered on about old furniture like he/she was here!
what kicked it off was construction, one of my fav subjects!

 

Don't worry, we were here.

 

odd how early furniture construction is so alien today, like it never even happened, almost! it wasn't that long ago really, just a few centuries.

 

Looks like the OP logged in yesterday, so perhaps has read the thread but has no comments. Anyway, it is interesting to read!

 

Nope, no comment so far, no worries, it takes very little to get me prattling on about old furniture!

 

It's interesting, so prattle away. Others will read!

 

Ha. I missed this. I think I did reply early on, but back then a lot of my replies were never published b/c I wasn't used to always getting logged out and posting replies that didn't stick.
One subject I need to know more about is early American oak pieces and how to tell them apart from English. Always afraid I'm going to miss something, like this thread.

 

@James Conrad is your man. And we love it when he is prattling on.

 

Well, that's the WHOLE THING there, isn't it!
Unless it's a 17th century American "pilgrim century" (1620-1720) piece, there IS NO oak in American furniture until 1900 or so.
Americans dropped oak like a BAD HABIT! during the william & mary period (1690-1730) and never returned to it until the Arts & Craft/Mission period in 1900.
Bottom Line? If it's 18th-19th century and it's oak? It ain't American, simple as that.
Ain't Life Grand?!

 

There we go, wasn't that easy? Simple as pie

 

This is what I mean. I recently passed by a carved wainscot chair that I had a feeling about. unfortunately I had no time to get a photo. Also if I recall correctly, while researching this table I read of a lot of oak being used in Louisiana and in Canada.

 

Yes, it's very tricky when looking at 17th century oak furniture, no doubt. Still, as there are less than 100 proven American wainscot chairs (more like 40-50), it's much more likely that it's english, not american. Unless you have rock solid provenance or construction details that prove it's american..............the market views it as not american.

Maybe Canada but, since there were only about 10 people in Canada ( only a slight exaggeration) in the 1st quarter 18th C, it's very likely your table that started this thread is English, it has english written all over it. Which is why it was priced at $160.

 

OTOH, here is an American "tavern" table i own, C 1750, probably Connecticut, Cherry turned base & stretchers with white pine pinned top. Even without examining the construction details, it's fairly obvious it is in fact, American.

 

Yes. Learned a lot since that post. here's a little quid pro quo. another English table. like the thin turnings on some of these pieces.

did you get that beast from W+W into the bathroom?

 

lol, NO! Hussy is down in the family room. The girls in forum here made such a fuss about rehanging the door i don't know what i will do with it. My thought as a linen closet kinda went nite nite if door/drawers are not independent.
The good news is, Hussy was a "cheap date" so no need to rush a decision

Yes, english antique furniture for the most part is plentiful and cheap (generally speaking) because there is so much more of it than American.
Population of America in 1700 was just 250,000 people & by 1750 just over 1 million so early american furniture is rare by definition, there was no one here!
England on the other hand had much more population with a large & growing middle class demanding all sorts of consumer goods, furniture being a key player in that demand. Ditto Europe generally speaking.

 

Another house you should consider is Leland Little in Hillsboro NC, they often have southern early american furniture which is even rarer than regular EA because of war & climate. They also have a relationship with Colonial Williamsburg and get deaccessioned furniture from them. They had a Virginia tea table a couple months ago i was interested in that sold for a HIDEOUS sum, there is a thread on it here.
https://www.antiquers.com/threads/depression-in-brown-antique-furniture-prices.43115/
This month Little has another tavern table i am liking even though i have NO NEED for another early table but hey, if i get it i can always sell one i have to make room for it.
I am interested because of the feet. C 1750, PA, walnut & yellow pine
https://www.lelandlittle.com/items/...:"\/search\/?department_id=23&search_terms="}

 

My earliest american piece, chest of drawers, riven oak frame & pine secondary,
Boston, C. 1690
There are only 20 of these chests known to exist, i am very lucky to have it. Well researched & published scholarship on these chests, most are in museums. I call it the "Bird" chest as it was originally painted with bird decorations, only one chest known still has it's original bird decorations.

 

WAIT! That might not be my earliest american piece, i forgot about the table Wallace Nutting once owned that i snagged (stole) this past Jan at Sotheby's in NYC during the Americana week.
Maple, New England, probably Mass. C 1670-80. The top is replaced