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MAINE WORK TABLE WITH PAINTING OF FIVE-MASTED SCHOONER, AN OLD 19TH CENT. MAKE-DO WITH GREAT STYLE |
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| Dimensions (inches): |
26" w x 25.5" h x 19.5" d |
| Description: |
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MAINE WORK TABLE WITH PAINTING OF FIVE-MASTED SCHOONER, AN OLD MAKE-DO WITH GREAT STYLE:
Found in Maine and probably made there, this wonderful little work table, with its delicate, spade-shaped legs, was at some point married to this early painting of a five-masted schooner.
The oil on canvas painting, which may have once resided inside a sea chest, dates to the period between 1860 and 1870 and features a tombstone-shaped window on a mustard ground. For lack of better words, the five-masted ship, with its host of tall, narrow sails, is particularly easy on the eyes. The surface of the canvas has very nice craquelure which, when added to the crusty black surface of the rural Maine stand, work exceptionally well together. Also wonderful to see is the tiny lightship in the foreground, off the portside stern, and a lighthouse in the background at the tip of a point of land. There is a skinny black pennant of the top of one of the masts, but no indication of nationality. The painting, however, is almost certainly American.
Made ca 1830-50, the table itself has a whimsical folk style. The unusual legs display a cylindrical turning below the skirt, then form a long, tapered spade that ends in an unusually fine point. I have seen similar legs on Virginia tables, but this is a clear pine, country table, found in Maine, where rural furniture can have lots of eccentric personality. Such odd designs seem to have been incorporated by the whims of the maker and what he envisioned, instead of copied from a book, a newspaper, or his neighbor.
The painting and the table were married at a later date. The top edge was trimmed in hardwood, evidently so that if it were bumped it would maintain a square form, as well as to discourage warping. When the painting was added, maybe in the late 19th century or early 20th century, the molded edge was moved upward slightly, recessing the top, probably so glass could be set within. This was absent when I found the table, but I have had a piece cut to fit that the next owner can use or not, as he/she likes. Glass isn't necessary, but it does add a greater degree of practicality.
Condition: The legs are not perfectly straight, which is a function of the original manufacture in a rural setting, maybe with wood that was slightly too green. The molded edge was moved, as explained above, when the painting was added. It was reapplied with the same cut nails. The painting has some minor losses but is largely intact and seems to be devoid of in-painting or repair. It was certainly cut down to fit the table, which almost perfectly accomodates the central image. |
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| Primary Color: |
black, mustard yellow, white |
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| Earliest Date: |
1830 (table), 1860 (painting) |
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| Latest Date: |
1920 (marriage) |
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| For Sale Status: |
Sold |
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| Price |
SOLD |
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| E-mail: |
info@jeffbridgman.com |
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