Description:
This secrétaire à abattant is attributed to George Archbald, who was active in Boston between 1825 and 1843. Its architectural design, with full-length pilasters topped by lotus-form capitals and an abstract, stylized egg-and-dart motif on its cornice molding, and form associated with the work of French cabinetmakers, reflect the late Classical, or Empire, style. The carving on the front panels foreshadows the Gothic Revival style, which first achieved popularity in the United States in the architecture of designers such as Alexander Jackson Davis (1803-1892), and migrated into interiors in the furniture, textiles, lighting, and other objects that furnished fashionable houses in the late 1830s and 1840s. One of the signature forms of American Classical furniture, the secrétaire à abattant’s name derives from its fall-front writing surface that closes flat to the surface of the case, a feature also associated with the fall-front escritoire, or scrutoir form. Its materials show how cabinetmakers used exotic imported materials to make showy, yet practical pieces of household furniture. Its exquisite figured mahogany, use of aromatic Spanish cedar as a secondary wood, and original marble top create a rich and handsome harmony of materials. Its original brass casters allow the piece to be moved with relative ease, a feature not commonly found on other examples of the form. This secrétaire à abattant is an important addition to Historic Deerfield’s collection of Classical furniture because of its transitional design, late date of manufacture, and form, none of which were previously represented in the collection.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2017.25 |
