Slant-lid desk made by Elijah (1751–1825) and Jacob Sanderson (1757–1810), Salem, Mass., 1794. Primary woods: mahogany with figured mahogany veneers. Secondary woods: white pine and birch. H. 43-3/4, W. 40, D. 21-3/4 in. Private collection.
A rare opportunity for furniture enthusiasts presented itself in the fall of 2009 when a remarkable desk was offered by a small auction house in upstate New York.1 The simple but beautiful slant-lid desk had many of the elements that entice scholars and collectors of American furniture. Not only had the original owner inscribed on both document drawers his name, the purchase date, and the cabinetmaking shop where he bought the desk, he also added a folksy calligraphic profile of a man’s face.2 The desk, which was leaving the original owner’s extended family for the first time when it was sold at auction, was also inscribed with its history of ownership, naming all the family members to whom it descended.3 It retains a very early, if not original, finish, and the façade of the desk is veneered with highly figured curly mahogany, all carefully matched from the same flitch of veneers.
