TOWNSEND SCHOOL, NEWPORT, 1740-1760

With uninterrupted lines and elongated slipper feet, this dressing table is a refined expression of the Newport aesthetic of the mid-eighteenth century. An unusual detail is the finishing of the edges of the top on all four sides. While most examples lack the finished rear edge, a closely related Newport dressing table has a top embellished in the same manner (Christie’s, New York, Property from the Collection of George and Lesley Schoedinger, 18 January 2008, lot 513). For forms made by Newport’s leading cabinetmakers of this period with related skirt shaping, see Luke Beckerdite, "The Early Furniture of Christopher and Job Townsend," American Furniture 2000 (Milwaukee, 2000), pp. 10-16, 24-25, figs. 20, 28, 40.