Lot Essay
With its rectangular top, convex molded apron, cyma shaped drop pendants and hexagonally paneled knees with ringed collars, this table relates to a small group of highly developed Queen Anne tea tables made in Newport between 1740-1760. The rectangular tray top, or "square top" tea table was the predominant form in New England, and occasionally made in New York, while Pennsylvania favored round tea tables. This example, with molding and drop pendants on each side, was made to stand in the round, rather than against a wall. As tea was a precious commodity, and was not widely available or reasonsably priced in the colonies until the second half of the 18th century this table was most likely commissioned for an affluent family, and was prominently positioned in a Newport parlor.
The retangular tray-top form was made fairly consistently in Newport, with the top rabbeted to fit into the skirt and the tray molding rounded on the outside, and nailed to the top. This group differs from those with squared cabriole legs and pad feet (see Heckscher, American Furniture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, 1985), p. 186, fig. 115 in that there are cetral drop pendants and hexagonal paneled and collared knees. The distinguishing feature of this example is the elegant tapering leg ending in and centering a pad and disc foot.
Nearly identical examples with raised slipper feet are illustrated in American Antiques from the Israel Sack Collection; for one formerly in the collection of Mrs. Robert Cushman, and now in the collection of the Art institute of Chicago see Vol. VII, (1983) p. 1838, no. 5109; another example in the same volume, p. 1924, no. 5201; and a third example illustrated in Vol. IX (1989) p. 2390, fig. 5201. Another example illustrated as in the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Pierson is illustrated in The Magazine Antiques, Vol. 55, No. 5 (May, 1949), p. 358. A related table with octagonal top, collared knees and paw carved pad feet is in the collection of the Shelburn Museum and is illustrated in Carpenter, The Arts and Crafts of Newport Rhode Island, 1640-1820 (Newport, 1954), p. 103, fig. 75.
The retangular tray-top form was made fairly consistently in Newport, with the top rabbeted to fit into the skirt and the tray molding rounded on the outside, and nailed to the top. This group differs from those with squared cabriole legs and pad feet (see Heckscher, American Furniture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, 1985), p. 186, fig. 115 in that there are cetral drop pendants and hexagonal paneled and collared knees. The distinguishing feature of this example is the elegant tapering leg ending in and centering a pad and disc foot.
Nearly identical examples with raised slipper feet are illustrated in American Antiques from the Israel Sack Collection; for one formerly in the collection of Mrs. Robert Cushman, and now in the collection of the Art institute of Chicago see Vol. VII, (1983) p. 1838, no. 5109; another example in the same volume, p. 1924, no. 5201; and a third example illustrated in Vol. IX (1989) p. 2390, fig. 5201. Another example illustrated as in the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Pierson is illustrated in The Magazine Antiques, Vol. 55, No. 5 (May, 1949), p. 358. A related table with octagonal top, collared knees and paw carved pad feet is in the collection of the Shelburn Museum and is illustrated in Carpenter, The Arts and Crafts of Newport Rhode Island, 1640-1820 (Newport, 1954), p. 103, fig. 75.