this design constant withered, as cabinetmakers who were skilled working with figured woods shifted their attention to creating case furniture. When a European interest in veneers spread, more stimulating tones and figures came into vogue. Consumers pursued furniture that artistically represented these materials, especially on veneered sideboards or bookcases. An affinity for nature’s most remarkable aspects may explain the desirability of mahogany crotch veneer. 2 Many favored irregularities in its grain, which seemed to illustrate trees’ lifespans and evolution. Like the development of fossils or minerals, few understood this process, evoking a mysterious quality. Even fewer comprehended its treacherous harvesting process by enslaved woodsmen in tropical forests. 3 Mahogany merchants sought veneers from the tree’s most asymmetrical points, notably the crotch, whose cuts yielded
Fig. 2. Table in upright position.
Fig. 3. Anthony G. Quervelle, center table, Philadelphia, 1825–30. Museum purchase with funds provided by the Henry Francis du Pont Collectors Circle 1986.0004
veneers with the appearance of a flame (fig. 2) . More imperfect cuts were prized too, paralleling the use of highly variegated marble tops, framed like paintings by gilt stenciling or ornamental carving (fig. 3) . The inlaid brass also contributes to the table’s environmental allusions. Influenced by the Baroque ébéniste André-Charles Boulle, “Buhl work” furniture entered the Anglo-American market by the 1810s. From England, American fine cabinetmakers procured die-stamped brass panels, often inlaid in rosewood. English furniture designer George Bullock advanced designs in veneering and inlay of tropical hardwoods and brass, notably
2 Jennifer Y. Chuong, “The Nature of American Veneer Furniture, circa 1790–1810,” Journal 18 Issue 9 Field Notes (Spring 2020), https://www.journal18.org/4733. 3 Jennifer L. Anderson, Mahogany: The Costs of Luxury in Early America (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2012), 156–68, 210–13, 219.
— 11 —
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online