Tea Table
Original OwnerOriginally owned by
Oliver Gilman
(American, 1766 - 1834)
Furniture MakerAttributed to the
Chapin family
(American)
Date1788-1791
MediumCherry, brass and iron hardware
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (height x diameter of top): 28 7/16 x 35 3/16in. (72.2 x 89.4cm)
Component (maximum width between two feet): 26 5/8in. (67.6cm)
ClassificationsFurniture
Credit LineGift of George H. Gilman, Jr.
Object number1983.114.0
DescriptionCherry tea table in the Chippendale, or rococo, style. The tea table has a round top that is not stationary, but rotates and tilts up into a vertical position. The pedestal has two square blocks at the top, separated by four turned posts, one at each corner. The pedestal consists of a cone with a ring about half way down the cone, over a compressed ball, over a cylindrical base with three cabriole legs and pad feet. The cylindrical base of the pedestal has two bands of incised lines. The lower edges of the pedestal base and the underside of the legs near the base are carved with cyma curves, or S-curves, and C-curves.
Condition: There are light scratches and small indentations on the top. The top of each leg and foot is lightly scratched and worn. One foot is replaced, and has since been re-attached.
Design and Construction Details: The top is constructed of three boards that are butted together. A pair of slender cleats are screwed to the underside of the top. Between each cleat is a block which is attached to the cleats with round hinge pins; the top pivots on these pins. A round brass catch holds the top in the horizontal position. The block is the top of a box, formed of two square boards that are separated by an upright, turned post at each corner. The lower block has a round opening in the center, which fits over a tenon, or pillar, at the top of the pedestal. The tenon is surrounded by a wooden ring inside the box; both the ring and the tenon have openings to accommodate a key, or slender rectangular piece of wood, that is inserted through the openings, to join the box with the pedestal. This construction allows the top and box to rotate at the top of the pedestal. Each leg is dovetailed into the base of the pedestal. Three iron strips are nailed to the underside of the pedestal base and legs.
NotesHistorical Note: According to family history, George Shepard Gilman (1825-1886) used this table while a student at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. He graduated in 1847.Condition: There are light scratches and small indentations on the top. The top of each leg and foot is lightly scratched and worn. One foot is replaced, and has since been re-attached.
Design and Construction Details: The top is constructed of three boards that are butted together. A pair of slender cleats are screwed to the underside of the top. Between each cleat is a block which is attached to the cleats with round hinge pins; the top pivots on these pins. A round brass catch holds the top in the horizontal position. The block is the top of a box, formed of two square boards that are separated by an upright, turned post at each corner. The lower block has a round opening in the center, which fits over a tenon, or pillar, at the top of the pedestal. The tenon is surrounded by a wooden ring inside the box; both the ring and the tenon have openings to accommodate a key, or slender rectangular piece of wood, that is inserted through the openings, to join the box with the pedestal. This construction allows the top and box to rotate at the top of the pedestal. Each leg is dovetailed into the base of the pedestal. Three iron strips are nailed to the underside of the pedestal base and legs.
Status
On view
