Antique Pennsylvania Walnut Federal Tilt Top Spider Leg Candlestand, Chester County, Circa 1820s

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Antique Pennsylvania Walnut Federal Tilt Top Spider Leg Candlestand, Chester County, Circa 1820s

A wonderfully distinctive and regionally evocative example … Read more Antique Pennsylvania Walnut Federal Tilt Top Spider Leg Candlestand, Chester County, Circa 1820s

A wonderfully distinctive and regionally evocative example of early 19th-century Chester County, Pennsylvania country Federal furniture, this solid walnut tilt top spider leg candlestand combines an unusual and highly individual turned column with the elegant spider leg base and cookie cut corner top to create a piece of considerable character and charm. Found at an old farmhouse in Coventryville, Chester County — where it almost certainly spent its entire nearly 200-year life — this stand carries with it the deeply satisfying provenance of a piece that has never strayed far from its origins.
The unusually ring turned central column is the stand's most distinctive and memorable feature, displaying a turnings profile that sets it apart from the more standardized columns found on comparable Pennsylvania Federal candlestands and speaks to the individual hand and creative vocabulary of its Chester County maker. The cookie cut corners of the rectangular top add a further note of regional folk character, their gentle scalloped cuts softening the geometry of the form with a pleasing hand-crafted informality. The three slender spider legs radiate from the base of the column with the graceful, attenuated elegance that defines the form and makes it so enduringly appealing to collectors of American country furniture.
The entire piece is constructed in solid walnut throughout — a testament to the quality of timber available to Chester County craftsmen in the 1820s and the maker's commitment to using the finest local material. The tilt top mechanism functions as intended, allowing the stand to be tilted upright when not in use — a practical period detail that adds to the piece's authenticity and appeal. At 23½ by 17¼ inches the top is generously proportioned, and the stand presents beautifully at either its 30 inch table height or its impressive 43 inch tilted height.
The piece has been refinished and presents cleanly, with honest wear and use marks entirely consistent with its nearly two centuries of Chester County farmhouse life.
Dimensions: 23.5" × 17.25" top × 30"H (top down) × 43"H (top up)
Material: Solid walnut throughout
Details: Unusual ring turned column, cookie cut corner top, spider legs, functional tilt top mechanism
Origin: Chester County, Pennsylvania (found in Coventryville), Circa 1820s
Condition: Refinished; wear and use marks consistent with age See less