Saturday, February 19, 2011

Charleston Tea Table?

Here is a 1730-1750 Queen Anne tea table with only a few minor repairs. How do you determine the location of it's manufacture? First, I have determined the top is original. It was originally glued down and later screwed to the rails. Leveling plane marks are still visible. The slide is also original having tack holes underneath which carried a label of the maker or owner. The guides for the slide are sloted and coved to recieve the round edge of the slide. They are nailed in place by hand wrought nails.The construction of the frame is typical for the earliest style having a double rail. The outer molding is mitered at the corners and covers the joining of the legs to the rail. The whole of the table is mahogany, including large blocking for the legs. The table is from an urban city, probably coastal due to the over abundance of mahogany. Its formal construction, shape of the leg, and generous use of mahogany as a secondary wood point to the southern coastal town of Charleston.