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Photo: Courtesy Bonhams Auctioneers and Appraisers, New York
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Dining table

Object number

RIF216

Maker

Maker Unknown

Dimensions

Open: 27 × 47 1/2 × 47 3/4 in. (68.58 × 120.65 × 121.29 cm)

Date

1760–80

Current location

Private Collection

Geography

Made in Rhode Island
(view a map of Rhode Island)

Medium

Mahogany (primary); maple (stationary rails and cross braces); pine (hinged rails)

Marks

None

Inscriptions

"Ichabod Potter," in chalk, upside down on stationary rail and on underside of one leaf; "2," in chalk, on underside of top; "3," in chalk, on inside of stationary rail; "4," in chalk, on opposite side of rail

Provenance

Probably Ichabod Potter, Rhode Island. Bonhams, New York, January 22, 2009, lot 1251

Associated names

Ichabod Potter
Bonhams and Butterfields

Construction

The oblong, rectangular, single-board top has a square edge, and is joined to its rectangular, single-board leaves by six pairs of iron hinges, each hinge leaf thrice-screwed, four at the outside corners of the frame, and two at the midpoints. The top is joined to its frame by six screw pockets ? one each in the short, flat-arch-skirted rails, and two each in the inner, stationary rails ? to transverse battens set into grooves under the top in the inner rails, and by horizontal rectangular glue blocks ? three along the inner rails, one each at the short rails (one is missing), and one beside a transverse batten. There are carved and chamfered vertical glue blocks (one missing) at the joints between the inner and short rails. At the midpoint of the frame, a transverse batten is dovetailed into the bottom of the inner rails. The inner and outer rails are joined by rosehead nails. The inner rails meet the short rails in dovetail joints, having pins of varying configurations, with half-pins above and below. The outer rails are tenoned and twice-wood-pinned to the blocks atop the legs. The blocks atop the swinging legs are rabbeted. The legs swing by means of round, carved-wood, five-knuckled hinges. The legs are straight, tapered and end in outset shod pad feet. Examined by D. A. Carr, February 4, 2004; notes compiled by T. B. Lloyd.

Bibliography

Bonhams and Butterfields, New York, American Furniture and Decorative Arts, sale cat. (January 22, 2009), 95, lot 1251, ill.