American Federal Inlaid Tambour Secretary Desk, Eastern Massachusetts.
Auction Date: August 14, 2021
Sold for: $600
Lot: 122
Eastern Massachusetts.
Circa 1800.
Figured maple and mahogany primary woods. Rosewood drawers behind tambour doors. Cedar secondary wood. The superstructure with two drawers and tambour doors opening to drawers and niches, centered by a prospect door with flowering urn inlaid to center in pointed oval. With bookmatched satinwood surround, foldover writing surface, four graduated paneled drawers, shaped apron, bracket feet. Banded inlay throughout.
Chalk writing to one drawer side, and to one drawer base. Otherwise, no markings observed.
Approximate dimensions: 55 1/2 high x 39 1/4 wide x 18 1/4 inches deep..
Provenance: Property from the Estate of Arthur Thomson, San Francisco, CA. Purchased from Elizabeth Fredericks, Alameda County, California, May 1979 via private sale, together with several other items..
Condition: Front right leg off and repaired. Two splits to the top. Upper drawers with vertical cracks to veneer. Apron with repair including fill-in. Repair to front right leg. Patina and some bending to brass pulls..
NB: Almost every tambour desk of this type is attributed to Thomas Seymour. There is no way to know the exact maker of the present example. The oval rosette was imported from England and inset into the central drawer.