Tea Table
Period1760 - 1790
MediumCherry
Dimensions29.25 × 34.5 in. (74.3 × 87.6 cm)
ClassificationsTables and Stands
Credit LineBequest of Mrs. Maude Applegate Smith Moreau, 1964
Object number2017.716
DescriptionThis tea table includes a circular two-board top with a plain rounded edge over a birdcage mechanism that allows the table to swivel. Two cleats with shaped ends are attached to the underside of the top. Wooden pins inserted through the cleats into the birdcage allow the top to tilt vertically for storage. A small brass spring latch secures the top when in use. The table top and birdcage assembly fit over a dowel post secured by a wooden wedge. The post has been turned with a column above a flattened ball. Three cabriole legs end in pad or "snake" feet.Curatorial RemarksThe flattened ball and column turnings suggest a Delaware Valley influence for the tea table. It shares two details with a candlestand also owned by the Moreaus - the articulation of the pedestal turnings, and cleats on the underside of the top that are shaped on the ends. The latter feature is quite unusual. Both pieces are also made entirely of cherry. The Moreaus did not actively collect antiques. Rather, they furnished their historic home in Freehold with inherited family heirlooms. This suggests that both the tea table and candlestand may have been made in central New Jersey.NotesThe number 63 within a circle is painted in orange on the underside of the table post, indicating that it came from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. W. Rhea Moreau of Freehold, Monmouth County.
Collections
