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THBRare and Important Charleston Federal
About Seller
PO Box 2135
Asheville, NC 28802
United States
Based in Asheville, North Carolina, Brunk Auctions has been conducting sales of fine and decorative arts for over 30 years. Auctions are held in our North Carolina sale room but attracts a global audience. Founded by Robert Brunk in 1983, the auctions became well known for their integrity and profes...Read more
Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Two ways to bid:
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About Auction
LiveJan 28, 2017 - Jan 30, 2017
Brunk Auctions support@brunkauctions.com
View Full Catalog (683)
- Lot Description
Figured Mahogany Bow-Front Chest attributed to the shop of Robert Walker, signed in script "Boston October the 18th 1805", likely referring to a free person of color by that name working for or in Robert Walker's shop, highly figured veneers, finely constructed with white pine secondary, tall French feet with mahogany blocking, 38-1/2 x 43 x 22-3/4 in.. Condition: excellent condition overall, brasses replaced, very minor veneer checking and one very small patch, minor warping to top, slight sun fading, one bottom board replaced, scattered minor replacements to blocking. Notes: The distinctive skirt design and foot construction of this chest correspond to a small group of important case furniture attributed to Robert Walker or Watts & Walker, working in Charleston in the 1790s and early 1800s. (See Bivins and Rauschenberg, [The Furniture of Charleston, 1680-1820], Vol. 2, fig, p. 583 through 595). As Robert Walker took over the shop in 1803, this piece post dates his partnership with Watts. The inscription with the name "Boston" likely refers to a free person of color working in the cabinet trade in Charleston. Charleston has a long history of enslaved and free persons of color working as carpenters and related fields bearing the name "Boston". The Craftsman index at MESDA lists five enslaved carpenters bearing that name with dates ranging from 1747 to 1817. Perhaps the origin of this name resides with cabinet maker Charles Warham, working in Charleston. Warham was a London-born cabinet maker who moved from Boston, Massachusetts, to Charleston, circa 1734. In that year Warham, who is identified as a joiner, sold an African boy named Boston to Solomon Legare, the Charleston goldsmith. Boston next appears as a gift from Timothy Breed and his wife Sarah, to their daughter Sarah in 1753. Sarah married Thomas Mills, Charleston cabinet maker in 1766. In the 1790 census, the name Boston again appears, where he is listed as a free person of color. As the signature appears in a well-concealed place (the top must be removed in order to see it), it likely does not refer to the town of Boston. Cabinet wares intended for shipment were sometimes inscribed with their destinations, but were done so conspicuously. Whether the inscription is in the hand of Boston himself or perhaps in the hand of the cabinet maker he was working for is not clear. While the details of the signature and inscription remain unknown, this chest may well be the first Charleston form signed and attributable to the hands of a cabinet maker of African descent working in that city. It is a remarkable rarity and survives in very fine condition.. Provenance: David Beckford Antiques, Charleston, South Carolina
Condition
excellent condition overall, brasses replaced, very minor veneer checking and one very small patch, minor warping to top, slight sun fading, one bottom board replaced, scattered minor replacements to blocking
- Shipping Info
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In house shipping. Brunk Auctions provides in-house shipping via UPS Ground (signature required) for many items. Brunk Auctions will provide a shipping quote which includes shipping, materials, labor and insurance. Insurance is based on the selling price and premium.
In order to provide an accurate shipping quote please provide the following:
- Shipping address
- Shipping method: if you have a UPS or Fed Ex account # we can bill your account 3rd Party and you can arrange payment for materials, labor and insurance. If you have your own insurance please send a signed waiver of liability.
Shipping arrangements are made only after the invoice is paid. The payment for shipping is a separate charge from payment of your lots.
Sales Tax: If you live in North Carolina and/or pick up from the auction house, and do not have a valid resale tax number on file with us, you MUST pay North Carolina state sales tax. The NC Sales Tax will not apply to any items being shipped out of state (unless the client resides in North Carolina) or to those clients with a resale tax number.
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