Sideboard

Name/Title

Sideboard

Context

The urn-shaped knife boxes in the NCHM Dining Room are a guest favorite. People love to guess what these strange wooden "urns" are used for and are almost always surprised at the answer. Fewer people pay attention to the large wooden sideboard that these unusual knife boxes sit on. The Sheraton-style mahogany sideboard in the southeast corner of the NCHM Dining Room was made in Ireland in the 1790s. It features two large curved cabinets and a smaller straight drawer in the center. The front is bowed, and sections of the front are inlaid with a lighter-grained wood. There are large brass pulls on the cabinet doors and drawer, and the piece is supported by six straight tapered legs. Sheraton is a late 18th-century neoclassical furniture style that was coined by 19th-century collectors and dealers to credit furniture designer Thomas Sheraton (1751-1806). Sheraton style furniture is characterized by strong geometric shapes, contrasting veneers and inlays, and round straight legs with simple feet. This sideboard was gifted to the Neill-Cochran House Museum by Katherine Cade Holt in memory of her mother.

Acquisition

Accession

1959.02

Source or Donor

Mrs. Charles A. Holt (Katherine Ker Cade)

Acquisition Method

Gift

Credit Line

Given in memory of donor's mother

Made/Created

Artist

Sheraton-style