American late Colonial mahogany tilt top birdcage tea table, circa 1760. Plain round top tilting with two full length battons and rotating on an open ended box-form birdcage with exposed dovetails. Tripod legs dovetailed into the turned pedestal base. Sitting on raised broad pad feet.
This late Colonial tilt top table is a rare example from the small coastal town of Edenton, Chowan County, North Carolina, located on the Albermarle Sound where the Chowan River meets the Atlantic. Tea tables were popular and produced in large numbers in the 18th century, the tilting mechanism enabling the table to be stored in a corner and the finer example having a birdcage mechanism enabling the table to be rotated when horizontal.
This tea table differs from many other examples as it rests on a dovetailed mahogany box open at both ends, as opposed to the conventional pillared birdcage. This four-piece box mechanism not only serves as a brace when the top is tilted for storage, but also enables to the top to rotate when the table is in use. Usually a British practice, this box form was rarely used by American cabinetmakers and is associated with three shops in Edenton. While there are similarities in construction practices from these three shops, the difference seems to be the extent of decoration of the lower legs, with one shop in particular adding ornamental piercing on the legs where this table is plain.
Size: 27 ½ h x 30 ½ w x 31 d in
A19824
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