FEDERAL DWARF CLOCK Hanover, Massachusetts Circa 1815
Movement made and signed by Reuben Tower, (1775-1881) Primary Wood: White Pine (Painted), Secondary Wood: White Pine Height: 48 inches, Width: 11 1 / 4 inches, Depth: 9 inches Reference: The clock appears in Zea and Cheney, Clockmaking in New England , page 106, figures 4-15 and 4-16. Reuben Tower (1795-1881) was a member of the influential Quaker clockmakers working in southeastern Massachusetts. He was likely apprenticed to Joshua Wilder. Tower produced clocks in the same manner as Wilder and also married his daughter Rebecca Hathaway Wilder in 1819. Tower worked locally in the adjacent towns of Hingham, Hanover, Kingston and Plymouth. While he produced just two tall clocks and a handful of shelf clocks and banjo clocks he specialized in fine dwarf clocks. All are in similar cases and styles to those made by Wilder and the cases are attributed to nearby Weymouth cabinetmaker Abiel White.
CLASSICAL CARD TABLE New York Circa 1815 Attributed to Duncan Phyfe (1770-1854) Primary Wood: Mahogany Secondary Woods: Tulip Poplar, White Pine, Ash Height: 29 inches, Width: 35 3 /
4 inches, Depth: 18 inches Reference: The table has the fluted "drum" turning associated with the documented Brinkerhoff suite of furniture made by Phyfe in 1815. See Peter Kenny et al, Duncan Phyfe, Master Cabinetmaker in New York , plate 19. For the card table from this suite, which is nearly identical to this example, see the same reference, figure 81.
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