Neal Auction Louisiana Purchase 2015

23. Rare American Federal Carved Mahogany Bookcase and Collector’s Cabinet , 1807, Philadelphia, upper case with molded cornice, rectangular mullions, original glazing, lower case with standing writing desk, 2 doors with oval inlay opening to specimen drawers, shaped apron, “French” feet, inscribed, h. 98 in., w. 52 1/2 in., d. 25 in.; accompanied by original bill of sale from English & Jones to Charles Wister dated 1807. $4000/6000 Note: According to the surviving bill of sale, this cabinet was sold by the Philadelphia firm of English and Jones, (located at 118 Chestnut Street, listed in Philadelphia city directories for the first time in 1807.) to Charles Wister (1781-1865), a Philadelphia merchant and principal in the counting house of Wister, Price & Wister, located at 143 High Street. In 1800 Wister inherited the family’s country 1744 residence “Grumblethorpe” in Germantown, PA, believed to be the first example of a residence constructed as a summer home for a Philadelphia merchant and included eight acres of land comprising gardens, orchards and crops. An avid gardener with a passion for the natural sciences, Wister began to rigorously develop the garden and farm in 1806, exploiting new developments in horticulture. By 1811, Wister retired to Grumblethorpe as his permanent residence, devoting time entirely to his interests in agriculture, botany, mineralogy, and astronomy. He was a founding member of the Twilight Club, which was responsible for developing the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences. The multiple “specimen” drawers in the cabinet featured here are most certainly to meet Wister’s specifications for his extensive natural history collection. Ref.: Susanin, Jay Davidson. Grumblethorpe: An Historic Landscape Report , master’s thesis written for the in Historic Preservation, University of Pennsylvania (1990), pp. 26-38; Moss, Roger W. Historic Houses of Philadelphia . Philadelphia: Barra Foundation, 1998, pp. 140- 142; Garvan, Beatrice B. Federal Philadelphia , 1785-1825: The Athens of the Western World . Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1987, p. 48; Philadelphia City Directories, 1797-1810. 24. Important American Gothic Carved Rosewood Octagonal Center Table , c. 1844, labeled Crawford Riddell, Philadelphia, original white marble top, carved and paneled frieze fitted with four opposing drawers; faceted paneled columnar support, stepped plinth, outset octagonal blocked feet, h. 31 1/2 in., w. 38 3/4 in., d. 38 3/4 in. $30000/50000 Provenance: Rosedown Plantation, St. Francisville, LA, descended in the Turnbull/Bowman/Fort family to the present day. Note: The emergence of this very important Crawford Riddell center table directly from Turnbull family descendants illuminates further the known body of work from Riddell and the extent of the Gothic Revival furnishings at Rosedown. Among the furnishings from Riddell in the reknowned “Henry Clay” bedroom, the armoire, now held by the Louisiana State Museum, has stenciled labels of Riddell in two drawers. The monumental bed is collected at the Dallas Museum of Art (Acc. No. 2000.324); the dressing bureau is at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Acc. No. 200.165); a rosewood table with columnar support and base nearly identical to that seen here is at the Brooklyn Museum of Art (Acc. No. 79.80); and two chairs are at the Bayou Bend Collection (MFA, Houston), (Acc. No. B. 200.5.2). Thanks to curator Barry Harwood for his assistance. Additional information at www.nealauction.com 11