A MARQUETRY AND PARQUETRY-INLAID WALNUT DESK-AND-BOOKCASE
A MARQUETRY AND PARQUETRY-INLAID WALNUT DESK-AND-BOOKCASE
A MARQUETRY AND PARQUETRY-INLAID WALNUT DESK-AND-BOOKCASE
15 More
A MARQUETRY AND PARQUETRY-INLAID WALNUT DESK-AND-BOOKCASE
18 More
PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF MARJORIE AND ROBERT HIRSCHHORN
A MARQUETRY AND PARQUETRY-INLAID WALNUT DESK-AND-BOOKCASE

SIGNED BY URIAH EBERHART (1866-1937), SAVANNAH, OHIO, DATED 1900

Details
A MARQUETRY AND PARQUETRY-INLAID WALNUT DESK-AND-BOOKCASE
SIGNED BY URIAH EBERHART (1866-1937), SAVANNAH, OHIO, DATED 1900
the reverse inscribed MANUF’D BY U.H. EBERHART. SAVANNAH, O. / INLAID WITH 135,511 PIECES OVER 537 DIFFERENT KINDS OF WOOD. / BEGUN NOV. 17, 1896. COMPLETED JULY 31, 1900; together with original drawings and designs by Eberhart
99 ¼ in. high, 53 ¾ in. wide, 22 ¾ in. deep
Provenance
Uriah Eberhart (1866-1937), Savannah, Ohio
Thence by descent in the family
Sotheby’s, New York, 23 May 2002, lot 320
Literature
Uriah H. Eberhart, 'The Wonderful Eberhart Secretary', Western Christian Advocate (Cincinnati, February 14, 1917), pp. 158, illustrated.
'The Eberhart Secretary', Cleveland Plain Dealer (Cleveland, May 25, 1929), p. 28.
William A. Duff, History of North Central Ohio (Topeka, 1931), pp. 1405-1406.
Jane Williams, 'Eberhart's Secretary, Ready for World's Fair, Is Pride of Savannah Citizens', The Mansfield Journal (Mansfield, Ohio, February 13, 1932).
‘Wood From Many Lands in Savannah Man’s Secretary: Uri Eberhart Builds Desk from 135,341 Different Pieces: Estimated Worth is $50,000’, News Journal (Mansfield, Ohio, July 5, 1932), p. 14.
'$75,000 Desk Is Exhibited', The Wooster Daily Record (Wooster, Ohio, September 26, 1934), p. 4.
J. Aubrey Williams 'Unique Cabinet Built By Ohio Man Valued $50,000; Contains 135,341 Pieces Of Rare and Historic Woods', The Akron Times-Press (Akron, Ohio, November 5, 1934), p. 4.
The Akron Times-Press (Akron, Ohio, December 30, 1934), p. 2.
Rae Bailey, Old Keys: an Historical Sketch of Clear Creek Township, Ashland County, Ohio, and of Savannah, the Township’s Only Village (Washington, D.C., 1941), pp. 170-172, illustrated.
Marion McCreary, 'Wonderful Eberhart Secretary Back with Heirs of its Talented Creator', Bound Brook Chronicle (Bound Brook, New Jersey, January 17, 1963), pp. 1, 12
Sotheby's, advertisement, Antiques and The Arts Weekly (May 10, 2002), p. 147.
Rod Hirsch, ‘Craftsman’s legacy is American mosaic', The Central New Jersey Home News (New Brunswick, New Jersey, May 19, 2002), pp. A1, A4-5, illustrated.
Lita Solis-Cohen, 'Flags Fly High at Americana Sale', Maine Antique Digest (July 2002), p. 23-E, illustrated.
Exhibited
New York, New York, Ripley 'Believe-It-or-Not' Odditorium, Fall 1939.

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Lot Essay

This American secretary is more than just a testament to Americana. It embodies the motto found in the coat of arms: E Pluribus Unum – Out of one, many.

This eye-catching masterpiece is the magnum opus of barber-turned-carpenter Uriah H. Eberhart of Savannah, Ohio. As noted on the back of the secretary, Eberhart laid his first piece on November 17, 1896 and completed it in almost 3 years and 7 months, and 135,511 pieces later. Eberhart’s vision of the secretary was inspired by his visit to the Guatemalan exhibit at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. Before dedicating his time to carpentering and creating this piece, Eberhart worked as a barber for fourteen years. He began his career when he moved to Savannah in 1886. In 1900, he quit barbering and focused on carpentering and then to farming.

To design a secretary such as this, one must have a creative and imaginative mind. Eberhart was clearly determined in his rejection of simplicity and repetition, as no two designs found on the secretary are the same. Eberhart set out by drawing the designs and meticulously planning the specific woods used in each element. The fruits, animals, flowers and emblems are constructed using 550 different types of wood from every state of the United States of America, and 31 kinds of wood from foreign lands. As a religious man, Eberhart wrote to missionaries around the world seeking their help in sourcing exotic woods native to faraway places. Pieces of wood, like the mahogany and mulberry, come from Jerusalem, and pieces from olive and lemon trees come from Syria. According to tradition, there is a piece from the imperial tombs of China, one from the shingle of the Ford Mansion, George Washington’s headquarters in Morristown, New Jersey during the Revolutionary War, and even a sliver from Abraham Lincoln’s childhood home.

Eberhart successfully created a piece of furniture that transcends its utility as a secretary by being a piece of art in its own right. The piece is exciting, dynamic and it completely immerses the viewer. The energetic borders of various patterns frame a multitude of pictures, including symbols of fraternal organizations, a self-portrait of Eberhart and a portrait his wife in each cornice. Below the tympanum, a quote from a sermon given by preacher Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) serves as a reminder to contribute and participate in the fight for what is right and true. Either side of the secretary is decorated with an image of USS Battleship Kearsage and USS Battleship Maine, both of which had been destroyed at the time of the piece's construction. Within each battleship, Eberhart laid bits of wood from the original vessels. The front of the secretary is decorated with an image of the White House, a portrait of George Washington and the country’s coat of arms, surrounded by thirteen stars to represent the original colonies. In just the portrait of George Washington, one can find walnut, ebony, wood from apple and holly trees, and satinwood, while the star that radiates from the picture contains 67 pieces.

Eberhart was not shy in his accomplishment and sought to share the piece with the public. On a self-printed flyer, he advertised, 'This is one of the most beautiful pieces of Furniture in the country. There is not another like it in the world. I say this because I know it is true…'. He also placed notices in local newspapers seeking interest in exhibiting the desk-and-bookcase, while listing his terms and concluding that 'Under such terms it seems to me I should hear from every city in the State and others in a short time' (Eberhart, 'The Wonderful Eberhart Secretary', Western Christian Advocate (Cincinnati, February 14, 1917), pp. 158. His confidence in his work was palpable and he believed that the secretary'...will do more in ten minutes to inspire young people with the possibilities of life than ten years of haphazard and scattered endeavor.'

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