Name/Title
SideboardEntry/Object ID
L.2011.003.2Description
Sideboard
Charleston, SC, ca. 1790/1800
Mahogany and mahogany veneer with ash (drawer supports), tulip poplar (drawer bottoms) and white pine secondary woods
H. 45 1/2 x W. 66 3/4 x D. 31 inches
Lent by The Rivers Collection, Charleston, SC
NOT EDITED
This is one of only four documented Charleston examples of a "stage-top" or double-tier sideboard. With fine proportions and exceptional veneers, this sideboard represents the work of Charleston's Scottish school of craftsmen and the direct transfer of style from across the Atlantic. Scottish immigrants, noted for their strong mercantile ties throughout the West Indies and abroad, comprised a significant portion of Charleston's overall eighteenth-century population; however, in the early-nineteenth century, the city experienced a new influx of skilled artisans, mainly from the Scottish Lowlands. These craftsmen were well versed in the latest London designs and they brought with them to Charleston knowledge of the neoclassical style. This double-tier sideboard is a distinctly Scottish interpretation that was transplanted to the Carolinas. The tier does not have a functional use beyond a place to display an array of silverplate-a visual sign of wealth. An indication of what these "stage-top" sideboards may have been called in Charleston can be found in a bill to Dr. Thomas in the amount of £21 for a "Double top Sideboard table" from the Scottish cabinetmaking firm of McIntosh & Foulds."Collection
The Rivers Collection C/O: Historic Charleston FoLexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Primary Object Term
SideboardNomenclature Sub-Class
Storage & Display FurnitureNomenclature Class
FurnitureNomenclature Category
Category 02: FurnishingsIntake
Loan In
L.2011.003Lender
John RiversDate Returned
Feb 1, 2011Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
January 12, 2011Updated By
admin@catalogit.appUpdate Date
December 7, 2012