Lot 91: An Important American Gothic Carved Rosewood

An Important American Gothic Carved Rosewood Center Table, c. 1845, after a design by Alexander Jackson Davis (1803-1892), New York, original hexagonal white marble top, conforming skirt with ripple molding and acorn pendants, cluster supports with foliate collars, shaped plinth with trefoil terminals, casters, height 31 in., diameter 43 in. Note: Alexander Jackson Downing's illustration "Drawing Room at Kenwood, Gothic Style" appears as figure 179 in his influential 1850 The Architecture of Country Houses, and provides important documentation for Alexander Jackson Davis' (1803-1892) architectural commission for Joel Rathbone's 1842 Hudson River Valley villa, Kenwood. Of note is the similarity of the lot offered here to a table in the Kenwood illustration, which is likely of Davis' design. In 1844 Rathbone wrote Davis, "I am quite anxious you should come; for I want you should help us with the Chairs and Table..." Tables closely related to this lot include: a rosewood table bearing a "Mr. J. athbone/Kenwood" label at the High Museum, Atlanta, (acc.1983.190) that was also exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, in 1976; a table from the Davis-designed villa "Belmead", built for Philip St. George Cocke in Powhatan County, Virginia, in 1845 and now at Andalusia; a table at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, (acc. 1981.402); a table in the University of Utah collection; a table in the Terian collection illustrated in Feld. In Pointed Style, p. 82-83, fig. 38; a table illustrated in Fizgerald. Three Centuries of American Furniture, p. 211, fig. x-4; and a table sold at Christie's, New York, as lot 530, January 16, 1998 The unity of Gothic design and variation of detail among the examples listed above demonstrate the high ambitions of the cabinetmaker. The restraint of ornament and fine craftsmanship in this group also indicate a New York maker with French cabinetmaking expertise such as Alexander Roux (active 1837-1881) or Charles Baudouine (active 1829-1855). Reference: Davies. "Gothic Revival Furniture of Alexander J. Davis," Magazine Antiques (May 1977) p. 1021 Feld. In Pointed Style, p. 82-83, fig. 38; Howe and Warren. The Gothic Revival Style in America 1830-1870, p. 41 fig. 73.