A rediscovered Philadelphia Chippendale tea table is taking a center spot in an upcoming auction of just thirteen items. Leigh Keno says the table from the shop of Philadelphia cabinetmaker Henry Clifton “is truly a tour de force.”
Keno Auctions’ Winter Sale Of Thirteen Extraordinary Items also includes Thomas Holme’s extremely rare 1687 map of Pennsylvania, One of William Penn’s earliest land deeds, three rare 1789 issues of the New York Gazette containing the earliest obtainable printing of the Bill of Rights, an orb sculpture by Ruth Asawa and two works by modernist master Alexander Calder.
But back to the tea table.
The Potter-Crouch-Jordan Family Chippendale mahogany tea table, a rare survival of Pre-Revolutionary craftsmanship signed by one of the more well-known Philadelphia cabinetmakers, Henry Clifton, whose extremely active shop employed some of the very best carvers in Philadelphia.
The table has descended in the family of the original owners for over 250 years and retains its original finish. If one employs the four factors used to evaluate a scalloped-top Philadelphia tea table; quality, rarity, condition and provenance, Keno says this example ranks at the very top, representing the apogee of Philadelphia Rococo craftsmanship.
The estimate is also remarkable: $500,000- $2,000,000.
Image: The Potter-Crouch-Jordan Family Chippendale mahogany tea table, a rare survival of Pre-Revolutionary craftsmanship signed by one of the more well-known Philadelphia cabinetmakers, Henry Clifton.
Urban Art & Antiques 