This secretary came to my attention 40 years ago in a full-page ad by John Walton appearing in Antiques Magazine, September 1984. Back then Walton was one of the two top dealers, including Israel Sack, that occupied the first two pages of Antiques Magazine, which was, and still is, the premier antiques and arts periodical. Every month, both illustrated a masterpiece of American case furniture.
At that time, I had seen the secretary in their gallery, which had relocated from New York to Connecticut after John Walton’s passing and then was run by Robert Lionetti, grandson of John Walton, and his father. At that time, I was beginning to acquire pieces I felt were of the masterpiece level.
Also at that time, I was hypersensitive to any condition issues whatsoever—here, a minor break in the pediment—and I opted for another object of desire, an exceptional Salem serpentine desk of blonde mahogany with gadrooned bracket feet (sw01237). Although I was always attracted to this Salem secretary, I never forgot it, and later felt rejection was a bit of an overreaction. Eventually, it sold and was no longer an option.
If this passion to collect lasts long enough, things do sometimes recycle. It appeared again at Freeman’s auction in Philadelphia, January 2010. This time there was no hesitation. At this time I had a number of great secretaries. This secretary was a great example of a small grouping of fall-front secretaries, which were fashionable in the early 1800s and would fill out the depth of our collection.
There is an exact example of this model to our secretary in the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, and it is illustrated in Samuel McIntyre: Carving an American Style, Dean Lahikainen, p. 1968. Samuel McIntyre was a famous artisan in Salem, and many of the great houses show evidence of his work throughout the city. McIntyre is especially known for the beautifully carved floral rosettes that adorn the ends of this swan neck pediment as well as many others. It’s his telltale mark and comes from English pattern books c. 1800.
I have always thought of this as a very feminine secretary, with its serpentine front, which is quite pronounced, and with its delicate glass fenestration of early wavy glass along with a most delicate swan neck pediment. Compare this to a similar drop-front Newport secretary of this period (sw01518, Chief Justice Burgess), which is quite masculine, with its bold straight front, simple brass handles, closed recessed panel doors, and straight pitched pediment. Compared side to side, one is inviting with curves, the other a fortress with no carved embellishment.
This secretary directly descended in the Sanders family of Salem, which was documented by Walton in his bill of sale, of which a copy was left in the secretary and now in our files.
This beautiful secretary is a wonderful example of what came out of Salem, which produced some of the finest furniture in Colonial America. Somehow I believe we were meant to have it, and given the second chance, a bite at the apple.
Height: 98 in. Upper Case Width: 40 in. Overall Width: 42 ½ in. Depth: 22 ¾ in.
Revised Aug 9, 2025, 1:48 PM