Roberto got to work on this little guy early yesterday morning. Some one had slathered a lot of gunk on the top of him. So, with a lot of sanding and then finely and carefully scraping the surface Roberto managed to get the top down to its original surface--the beautiful feather banding became clear and with a couple of coats of hard paste wax to the entire piece, he started to shine. I believe that the desk in most probably American (not a common form) as it has chamfered drawer bottoms and pine as its secondary wood.
The wood appears to be American walnut
Look at that cute little cubby, it has kept its original shelf, too.
The bracket feet are in good shape and have little spurs. I love the graining of the wood contrasting with the banding.
What I am most astounded by is the fact that this little guy has retained all of its original mid-18th c. brass hardware. A couple of the nuts have been replaced, but the most important elements are all present.
I am not an expert in American Furniture. I'm looking for some one to help me research this piece. I've emailed a couple of auction houses--but that involves a lot of politics.....(and I'm at present overwhelmed by the state of American politics)
So maybe the best course is to simply wait a bit and see what evolves. Besides, I don't mind having him around for a while.
Off to auction tomorrow--didn't preview; so we'll see what turns up.
Mary & Jones & Cole
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