Note
Finely constructed in figured mahogany, upper case with removable broken arch, dentil molded pediment, set with 'pomegranate' rosettes, bookmatched panel doors, opening to five graduated linen drawers, cypress, red cedar, white and yellow pine, as secondary woods.
This important Charleston secretary linen press relates to a number of documented Charleston double case forms including a library bookcase illustrated in Rauschenberg and Bivins, Jr., in The Furniture of Charleston, 1680 to 1820. This present example is distinguished by a chalk inscription on top of the lower case that may reference the cabinet maker John Gough who was working in Charleson at that time. He was a freed African American cabinetmaker who had served in the Revolutionary War, owned slaves, and was financially successful. No other work by this artisan has been discovered to date.
The piece is surmounted by a removable broken arch pediment assembly exhibiting carved 'pomegranate' rosettes, typical ogee and cove molding, denticulation, and a veneered frieze.
The upper case contains five graduated linen drawers enclosed by two flush paneled doors with molded interior surfaces; the right door has an applied molded edge and inlaid brass escutcheon.
The lower case case contains three mahogany veneered drawers with cockbeaded edges and inlaid brass escutcheons; the lower two of a traditional, utilitarian nature, the upper incorporating a face which pivots down by means of quadrant hinges to create a writing surface and reveal a secretary interior. This interior is composed of a central prospect door concealing a single lower drawer and upper valance drawer.