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Desk

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Collection Type

  • Furniture

Date

1780-1785

GUSN

GUSN-2426

Description

Desk. Mahogany. Flat rectangular top with brass gallery surmounts slanting top with molded edge and four-drawer serpentine front case. Molded base raised on ogee feet. Base molding centers a sunburst carved pendant. Slant top opens to a fitted interior with three central short drawers with plaster fronts and valanced pigeon holes over a single long drawer. Leatherette writing pad tacked to desk surface. NFL description: A mahogany serpentine desk with ogee feet and a sunburst carved below the bottom molding. It has original brass bail handles; although, the brass gallery is not original and was added many years ago by the Adams Family. The interior has small drawers under open pigeon holes with scalloped tops. Two small drawers and an open pigeon hole in the center are flanked on either side by a half spindle, which fronts a tall narrow pull drawer.

Details

Descriptive Terms

desks
brass (alloy)
imitation leather
mahogany (wood)
Chippendale
Mahogany
Chippendale
Brass
Leatherette
DESK

Inscription

Written in script with ink/pencil?, on the side of the right document drawer in the interior, is: Stephen Adams bought this desk in 1783, paying 40 dollars ""lawful money"". [It was said to have been his earnings for service during the Revolution. (Per NFL, it was probably written by George W. Adams.)

Associated Building

Original to Cogswell's Grant (Essex, Mass.),

Maker

Attributed to Toppan, Abner, Mr. (Maker)

Location of Origin

Newburyport, MA, USA

Dimensions

44 x 41 x 22 (HxWxD) (inches)

Credit Line

Gift of Bertram K. and Nina Fletcher Little

Accession Number

1991.449

Places

Massachusetts (United States)

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