Exceptional Queen Anne Carved and Figured Maple Dressing Table, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Circa 1760

Few Queen Anne dressing tables possess the exceptional proportions displayed in this exquisite dressing table. The form is further accentuated with the cabinetmaker's choice of crafting the dressing table from vibrantly figured maple. The original openwork cast brass hardware is the table’s only opulent aspect. It is however the subtle embellishments of a notched corner top, fluted chamfered corners, shell-carved knees and delicate trifid feet that successfully combine to create a synergistic masterpiece.

While this dressing table has few equals, a closely related example is in the Mabel Brady Garvan collection at Yale University (see Gerald W.R. Ward, American Case Furniture in the Mabel Brady Garvan and Other Collections at Yale University, (New Have, CT: Yale University Art Gallery, 1988), pp. 223-4, no. 114).