In 1765, 250 years ago this month of May, Mount Pleasant was completed. Thomas Nevell, his journeymen and apprentices along with sub- contractors in other trades, were putting the finishing touches on the “plantation” that included a main house, two pavilions, a barn, a stable and carriage house, a smoke house, and a necessary. On … Continue reading Mount Pleasant at 250 Years
Craft
Dressing Table Restoration Part 4, Legs
The surviving rear leg on the dressing table was used as a model for shaping and carving two new front legs and one new rear leg. While only the sides of the rear legs had carving on the knees, the carving on the front legs wrapped around the knee completing the bilateral design. The matching … Continue reading Dressing Table Restoration Part 4, Legs
Dressing Table Restoration, Part 3, Corners
With the modern legs removed, the tenons of the front rail and sides are revealed. There are four separate tenons on the side board, the bottom tenon flush with the bottom of the side and the top tenon (the top tenon is cropped out of this photo) begins a half an inch below the top. … Continue reading Dressing Table Restoration, Part 3, Corners
“Mahogany Drawers With fret & Dentels”
The high chest with the paper label of Thomas Tufft in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art has not been web published to date but is on display in the American Art galleries in the museum. The carved fronds that would have spiraled off the volutes of the scroll mouldings are missing and … Continue reading “Mahogany Drawers With fret & Dentels”
Philadelphia Dressing Table Restoration, Part 2, Research
Most of the information needed to restore the missing elements of the dressing table were present in the surviving table. But research was necessary to confidently restore elements that had no surviving counterpart. I was also interested in gathering as much information as possible about related objects. The research phase of the project was extensive … Continue reading Philadelphia Dressing Table Restoration, Part 2, Research
In Proportion to the Trouble 