This commanding secretary was found during the early years of my dealer/collector life. At that time I would cover all of the discovery type auction sales in the search for marketable material for resale, which included English as well as continental furniture.
Many wealthy residents in midtown Manhattan often move from their domicile on short notice, and their contents often end up at Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and/or Doyle’s. Many of these pieces were expensive and came from the many galleries in New York etc. Important pieces were selected for major auction sales and others to their discovery/basement liquidations.
When I saw this secretary at one of the liquidation sales it had one of its doors hanging off its hinges and appeared to be definitely English in terms of construction: i.e. thin drawer sides and a strikingly beautiful highly developed english style desk interior. This secretary was very large and fully developed with striking mahogany which was embellished with its original gilt hardware that is only found on important pieces of the best caliber. Furthermore, it didn’t appear to have any alterations or repairs. Dealing with large case pieces is often a turnoff for most dealers because moving furniture can be back breaking, not to mention the accompanying cost of storage. Portability of case furniture, like clocks, is not one of its virtues.
Nevertheless, I was determined to go home with this beauty as it was clearly in the masterpiece category, although it was apparently of English origin. Most dealers were on the hunt for American material, which was where the money was, and this provided a reasonable chance to acquire hopefully reasonably.
Going to New York was always a hunt and often there was dealer competition. Also, there was competition from decorators trying to beat us at our own game. This sometimes made buying problematic, especially when a decorator’s client was fixated on a particular item, and it became un buyable for us.
These auctions were not highly advertised but were never giveaways, either; they were well covered by the dealer trade. Each dealer keeping his interest private from other dealers by not focusing and or examining the piece or any length of time.
Occasionally, material included in the auction is not identified properly, and is truly of much higher value. These are called “sleepers” and identifying them is a test of one having an “eye” and knowledge of the field. Coming home from an auction was like coming back with a deer over the hood, ergo many dealers had panel trucks.
Upon acquiring this piece, I had it sent over to Peter Arkell, a highly regarded cabinetmaker who did work for Yale, etc. Peter re-hinged the door and gave the piece a good cleanup and French polishing. It had no alterations or repair and was structurally in terrific condition.
Over the years, I’ve had Philip Zimmerman PhD., an eminent and highly respected authority on American furniture, go through many pieces in our collection and provide condition reports. I did this because I didn’t want to later have questions of authenticity and or condition. I’ve always admired Philip and his many books and publications over the years, and I took the opportunity on one of his many trips to our gallery to have him inspect this secretary.
Bottom line, Philip believes the secretary is American, a Charleston secretary. This secretary was subsequently illustrated and discussed at length in …Zimmerman, Philip D., Ph.D. “Distinguishing American Furniture by Wood Use”, Regional Furniture, 2015 :pps 15-18. In his essay, he confirms “all secondary woods are original to its construction” … “secondary woods: white pine, tulip poplar, and bald cypress, all of which are indigenous to America and not Europe.”
Interestingly Zimmerman points out all of the back boards are bald Cyprus. While there was trade in common lumber with England, Cyprus was not one of them. Cyprus was of limited and highly desirable locally and used primarily in the location from which it was found. Also, there is far too much variety of different American wood to believe this was constructed in England. Furthermore, there is evidence that craftsmen traveled back-and-forth to England and this artisan obviously wanted to craft it in his English style. Why he did so is anybody’s guess. We see this as a Charleston secretary and when put side-by-side with other Charleston secretaries I’ve always noticed the similarity and the cabriole bracket foot. Furthermore, I see this secretary as the finest of this grouping of Charleston secretaries. Its blind fretwork below the pediment, and its original gilt hardware speak for themselves.
The story of this secretary is quite a saga, and it reflects the type of life a true collector goes through who starts as a collector/dealer to learn from the bottom up, and, to hopefully come up with a pearl!
Provenance: Salanter Akiba Riverdale Academy, New York
Illustrated: This desk is illustrated and discussed at length in Zimmerman, Philip D., Ph.D. “Distinguishing American from English Furniture by Wood Use.” Regional Furniture 2015: pps.15-18.
Height: 104 in. Depth: 25 in. Width: 45 in. Case Width: 40 3/8 in. (upper) 42 in. (lower)
Revised July 30th, 2024 12:43 am