Let me preface this by writing that the furniture piece can be viewed with details at the link I've provided below this paragraph..It's a slideshow, so I'd recommend immediately stopping the slideshow (controls at bottom left of the screen) so you can view the images with my comments at your leisure.
http://s572.photobucket.com/albums/ss161/Emmfrei/Deskpics/?albumview=sl…
My wife and I, more than 20 years ago, purchased in a Seattle antiques store what we thought was an incredibly beautiful desk. We were told it was a Hepplewhite, but that didn't mean anything to us and we didn't really care -- we just really liked it. My wife recalls that there was a companion piece of some sort, but that another couple bought it before we had a chance.
For 20+ years this piece served us well in our living room. A couple of months ago, though, we found a piece that much better fits our decor and I've been trying to find out what I can about this "desk". Via online inquiries, nailing down exactly what type of furniture it was or even the general period/style have been problematic.
It seems the most likely function was as a sideboard. True? As to the period/style, I checked out Hepplewhite sideboards and thought, "I don't think so". I mean the shallow, almost Art Deco carvings seem totally out of synch with the Hepplewhite era -- and yet a Hepplewhite-style creation is what everyone is calling this.
What to tell you beyond what is in the images and comments at the link I've provided ... well ...
A darker red, somewhat crackled surface in parts of the underside, as well as the dark red color alongside the carving edges lead me to believe that a darker stain was removed.
As to marking, there are, unfortunately, none.
The legs are not truly square. Imagine a square skewed toward diamond shape to better match the bow of this pieces' front.
The weight of the entire piece is light. I could easily carry it myself if it weren't for the bulk. This would seem to confirm that mahogany was used throughout, no?
I can send larger ersolution images if desired.
Thanks for your time,
Mike
