Images(2)

Stand

Period1780 - 1800

MediumMahogany, mahogany veneer

Dimensions28 × 23.13 × 19.5 in. (71.1 × 58.7 × 49.5 cm)

ClassificationsTables and Stands

Credit LineBequest of Miss Rebekah Crawford, 1934

Object number572

DescriptionA small table or stand with an octagonal top that tilts. It features figured mahogany veneer on mahogany with a darker veneer banded edge. A pair of shaped cleats affixed to the top's underside attaches to a small block by pin hinges, allowing the top to tilt upright for storage. The tabletop assembly sits on a central baluster turned column atop three curved legs that end in feet defined by a band of dark veneer.
Curatorial RemarksIn spite of the family legend that the small tilt top table was brought from England, pieces such as this with a veneered top were also made in America. It was more likely produced in New York or New Jersey.NotesThe small tilt top table or stand was described in its 1934 accession record as follows, "Small table. Octagonal, tip-top. Table was brought over in an early sailing vessel from England before 1792. It is English. Belonged to Mary Clarke Bowne, grand-mother of Rebekah Crawford." Like many family anecdotal histories, this one has some inconsistencies. First off, Mary C. Clarke was born in Dublin, Ireland, on 22 December 1793, a daughter of Alexander Clarke, a Scottish Highlander. Her parents came to America when she was an infant. They located in New York, where her father became an architect and builder. So it is unlikely that the table preceded the family to America. In 1823, Mary Clarke married John P. Bowne (1792 - 1869) a merchant in Freehold, Monmouth County. She died there on 24 February 1888, and was interred at Maplewood Cemetery. The table then descended to her daughter, Margaretta Bowne Crawford (1817 - 1910) of Monmouth County. Later in life, she lived with her daughter Rebekah Crawford in Brooklyn, NY, where she died. Miss Rebekah (1846 - 1934) passed away in Manhattan. She would have been about forty-two years old when her grandmother died, lending at least some level of credibility to the English origin of the table.

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