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Lot Essay
Founding one of the most accomplished cabinet shops of early nineteenth-century America, John Seymour and his son Thomas emigrated from England to Portland, Maine in 1785, and moved to Boston in 1794. These illustrious cabinetmakers effortlessly harmonized materials, pattern and meticulous workmanship producing exquisite forms. They brought to Boston the refinement of English standards of craftsmanship, veneer use and Neoclassical design.
The provenance of this card table links it to one of the most vivid military figures of the Revolutionary War, General John Stark (1728-1822). Stark started his military service early serving with Rodger’s Rangers during the French and Indian War, saw action at Fort William Henry and in General Abercromby’s assault on Fort Ticonderoga. In the winter of 1757, en route to Lake Champlain after a day’s fighting and night’s marching Stark distinguished himself by walking forty miles in deep snow to bring relief to his wounded countrymen. Once Stark got wind of the happenings at Lexington and Concord, he rode to Cambridge, Massachusetts to establish a regiment from New Hampshire. His regiment held the important rail fence on the left of the American lines and held an integral position in repulsing the first two British assaults at the battle of Bunker Hill. He also played integral roles in the victories at Trenton and Princeton. When British General John Burgoyne deployed a large force commanded by the Hessian Baum westward into Vermont at Bennington, General Stark raised a brigade of 1,500 soldiers armed with personal weapons and on 16 August they ensnared and defeated the well-equipped professional Hessians. This decisive battle set the scene for the defeat of Burgoyne at Saratoga. There, Stark led the brigade that cut off Burgoyne’s final escape route. General John Stark had an extraordinary knack for being at the pivotal and most surprising of locations to thwart British attacks – at Bunker Hill, Bennington and finally Saratoga. The New Hampshire state motto “Live Free or Die” was coined by General Stark at his post-war address solidifying his place in history.
The sideboard referenced in the plaque on the card table's front rail is now in a private collection.
The provenance of this card table links it to one of the most vivid military figures of the Revolutionary War, General John Stark (1728-1822). Stark started his military service early serving with Rodger’s Rangers during the French and Indian War, saw action at Fort William Henry and in General Abercromby’s assault on Fort Ticonderoga. In the winter of 1757, en route to Lake Champlain after a day’s fighting and night’s marching Stark distinguished himself by walking forty miles in deep snow to bring relief to his wounded countrymen. Once Stark got wind of the happenings at Lexington and Concord, he rode to Cambridge, Massachusetts to establish a regiment from New Hampshire. His regiment held the important rail fence on the left of the American lines and held an integral position in repulsing the first two British assaults at the battle of Bunker Hill. He also played integral roles in the victories at Trenton and Princeton. When British General John Burgoyne deployed a large force commanded by the Hessian Baum westward into Vermont at Bennington, General Stark raised a brigade of 1,500 soldiers armed with personal weapons and on 16 August they ensnared and defeated the well-equipped professional Hessians. This decisive battle set the scene for the defeat of Burgoyne at Saratoga. There, Stark led the brigade that cut off Burgoyne’s final escape route. General John Stark had an extraordinary knack for being at the pivotal and most surprising of locations to thwart British attacks – at Bunker Hill, Bennington and finally Saratoga. The New Hampshire state motto “Live Free or Die” was coined by General Stark at his post-war address solidifying his place in history.
The sideboard referenced in the plaque on the card table's front rail is now in a private collection.