This Salem slant top desk is one of the finest of the slant top grouping produced in New England. Not only does it have a blocked front set of drawers, but additionally, the lid is blocked as well. These desks are found sometimes with just the front draws blocked, rarely with the lid blocked also, and almost never with a central shell carved into the lid.
Regarding the interior of the desk section, it is fully developed. It is also blocked, with shells carved into the drawer fronts, and also into the movable interior valances that function as little drawers for some coins or a key. Also, the central section is fitted with fluted columns and is all removable as a unit.
The closest related example is illustrated in Antiques Magazine, December 1997 in an ad by the Israel Sack Gallery in New York, and the asking price back then, almost 30 years ago, was $185,000. I know, because I went to their New York gallery to see it. In today’s dollars, it would have been close to $400,000.
The primary difference between the Sack model above and ours is that theirs has claw and ball feet and ours has contoured shaped bracket foot. Also, ours has shells carved into the interior facing of the valances which are further fashioned into movable small draws. The Sack model does not have this feature as they are fixed and uncarved.
No two desks are exact equals, just as no two Stradivarius violins are perfect duplicates. These pieces are benchmade, and although of minor differences, an expert knows a Strad when he sees one, and this desk is one of those masterpieces.
Personally, I feel the style of this bracket foot falls in line with the blocking of the front drawers. Adding claw and ball feet looks like an added stylistic element that breaks the vertical line and not blended into the overall sculptural line.
While there are others in this Salem grouping, they don’t always have all of the features in the above. Even so this is a small grouping of probably a dozen pieces. In this grouping are included some secretaries and one such is illustrated in Antiques Magazine, October 1984 in another ad by Israel Sack. This secretary has an arch shaped blocked lid with a shell in the center and Sack refers to this as a “Salem masterpiece”. Unfortunately, this secretary has a lower chest of drawers that are shaped in the serpentine style. Go figure?
Also noted is that whereas these desks are usually 40 – 42 inches wide, this one is only 38 3/4 . It presents itself as a small powerhouse visually. It is composed of a very heavy purple island mahogany. I often ask visitors to hold and feel the heft of the lid. They are always surprised.
I purchased this desk at Northeast Auctions and the provenance was with John Walton, appearing shortly after his passing. This was a standoff for many people. Whereas he sold many great pieces that are in major collections and institutions, he had a reputation, deservedly or not, of tinkering with some furniture.
I looked the desk over and over, from top and bottom, getting on my knees with a flashlight and convincing myself it was fine. Unfortunately, there was no time to have the desk turned over on its head for thorough scrutiny of its base and particularly the feet. Nevertheless, I had confidence in myself and my bright flashlight, a necessary tool in the business. Over the years, I’ve spent much time on my knees with a flashlight, looking at blocking, and originality.
It was such a wonderful piece in every respect of the best of the Salem school that I gritted my teeth and bought it. I was relatively young and had some extra cash and lots of passion.
Later, I had Philip Zimmerman, one of the best in the field, take it all apart and write a condition report which is in our file…and yes, it’s perfect! It can be seen here.
Along with our Newport block front desk with three shells in the lid (Salem never went beyond one shell) this is a major piece in our collection. After all these years, I still enjoy looking at this small dense Salem treasure.
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Files: An Examination Report on this item by Philip D. Zimmerman, PhD. can be seen here.
Height: 44 1/2 in.
Case Width: 38 3/4 in. Overall Width: 41 in.
Case Depth: 21 1/4 in. Overall Depth: 23 in.
Revised Aug 3, 2025, 7:44 PM