Antique Queen Anne Pennsylvania Walnut Two Drawer Diminutive Tavern Table Rare

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With our absolute highest compliments Bay Colony Antiques takes the utmost pleasure in presenting this exceptional antique tavern table. This … Read more With our absolute highest compliments Bay Colony Antiques takes the utmost pleasure in presenting this exceptional antique tavern table. This remarkably well preserved example is among the rarest in its form with a desirably diminutive size which makes it a viable option for most historical interiors where space is limited. Any serious collector or institution with a focus on the early history of Pennsylvania would do well to consider this tavern table as it is truly among the rarest pieces of furniture associated with the region. Tavern tables have remained essential to American society with the earliest known examples dating back to the settlement of the country. People would gather around tavern tables, fashioned with large overhung tops and wide open areas for leg space, to drink and discuss the news of the day. As these tables moved out of tavern halls and into formal dining rooms the overall quality of them improved with finer materials and greater care taken in their design and construction.

This table is a remarkable example of the Queen Anne style which was the dominate furniture design in Pennsylvania during the mid to late 18th century. The entire table is constructed from naturally sourced walnut native to the area where it was made with softwood secondary lumber used to fashion each drawer frame. The table and drawers are joined with masterful hand-cut dovetails and the frame is further strengthened with pegged joinery where each leg tenons into place. The drawers have retained the original brass hardware as evident from the unfinished side of each drawer face where the singular set of holes and hand spun brass posts and nuts can be examined. Both drawers have a fine thumb-molded styling and the table stands prominently on four cylindrically tapered legs which end on graceful spoon feet. The top of the table is secured with a series of hand-cut pegs which can be removed for ease of transport. The underside of the top shows strong lines of oxidation where the battens correspond to the table base. We note some unusual channeling which we believe was an error from the time it was made. We surmise that the wrong measurement (depth instead of width) was first used to determine how far apart the battens had to be from each other and the oversight was corrected before the first slot was completed.
This tavern table measures 38 1/2" long x 25 1/2" wide x 29 1/2" tall. See less