PHILADELPHIA, 1715-1725

Made of mahogany and surviving in impeccable condition, this William and Mary dressing table illustrates Philadelphia craftsmanship at its best during the early decades of the eighteenth century. Its china stand and conical drops are original and remarkable survivals from the era. Made of walnut and seemingly varying otherwise only in the shaping of the center of the skirt, a nearly identical table is in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Indicative of the significance of this model, the Philadelphia Museum's example was featured on the cover of Worldly Goods (Jack L. Lindsey, Worldly Goods: The Arts of Early Pennsylvania, 1680-1758 (Philadelphia, 1999), cover, pp. 90, 144, no. 50, fig. 135). Unusual details include the feet, which are turned from cedar instead of mahogany, as seen on the rest of the table's primary woods.