ITEM SW00953: A Cedar Chippendale Tea Table, Bermuda, c.1780

Bermuda furniture made of cedar--fairly identifiable and found no place else but Bermuda--is rare and desirable. Among this class, Chippendale furniture is very rare, as this style dates squarely in the 18th century, and little has survived. The tea table especially is a rare form, because it is easily broken.

This table was once part of a marine Museum, now deaccessioned (see museum numbers). This tea table is not a "rickety" table; the mortise and tenon joints through legs are all stable, and the underside of the top reinforced with cross bracing to assure its stability. Note the cedar blocks and a good many of the original leg blockings, which are often lost. Also note the chamfering on the inside of each leg (see detail). This table was obviously made in a cabinetshop, and is far from amateur farmer's work.

Also of note is the generous overhang of the top, which connoisseurs find desirable.

Height: 27 in. Length: 33 3/4 in. Depth: 18 1/2 in.

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