Though the idea that tea tables were produced as pairs during the middle of the 18th century in America has been rarely touched on by furniture historians or cultural institutions - the marketplace has preferred and promoted the idea of a singular prestigious object - one of the earliest American references to the tilt-top tea … Continue reading Tea Table Pairs Addendum
Carving
“I should have been a pair of ragged claws / Scuttling across the floors of silent seas.” T. S. Eliot
I noticed something interesting several years ago when several of us were asked to examine two highly ornamented 18th century Philadelphia tea tables that are similar in overall form, to see if we could determine whether they were made as a pair of tables for a single client or simply two similar tables made by … Continue reading “I should have been a pair of ragged claws / Scuttling across the floors of silent seas.” T. S. Eliot
“Better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea for one.”
For nearly a decade the American furniture market has been awash in highly ornamented 18th century Philadelphia tea tables, with newly discovered elaborate tables turning up on the market every few years. I recently examined a table previously unpublished and unknown to the field that is scheduled to be auctioned January 31st. It is very … Continue reading “Better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea for one.”
C. MAIERS UPDATE
While I still don't know if the company of Chas. Maiers & Sons made the carving gouges that bear the imprint "C. MAIERS", how long the company existed, or why the company is not represented in compilations of New Jersey tool manufacturers, I recently came across this envelope bearing a printed Chas. Maiers & Sons … Continue reading C. MAIERS UPDATE
THE MYSTERIOUS C. MAIERS
On the left in this image of carving gouges I've re-handled is a tool with the imprint "C. Maiers". The metal shank is short and it had an equally short handle making it difficult to control. Adding a longer than normal handle recreates something close to the original length making it easier to grasp. About … Continue reading THE MYSTERIOUS C. MAIERS
In Proportion to the Trouble 