Beschreibung:

The Mitchell Family Chippendale Carved and Figured Mahogany Games TablePossibly from the workshop of Henry Hardcastle (fl. Ca. 1750-1756)New YorkCirca 1765
A handwritten label attached to the rear rail of this table reads:This Chippendale card table was the property of Stephen Mix Mitchell who was U.S. Senator from Connecticut 1793-1795. It passed to his daughter Harriet Mitchell who was unmarried then to Stephen Mix Mitchell, a grandson of the U.S. Senator. This second Stephen Mix Mitchell was Treasurer of the N. York, N.H. and Hartford R. R. Co. It passed from him to his daughter Harriet Mitchell Slate and from her to her daughter Alice Slate Norton.
Height 28 in. by Width 37 3/4 in. by Depth Closed 18 3/8 in.; Open 36 1/2 in.Condition reportL4286.5 accession number. Secondary wood is cherry wood and white pine. The back side knee returns are replaced. The feet were formerly drilled for castors or metal slides.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.ProvenanceAccording to family tradition, this table was owned by Stephen Mix Mitchell (1743-1835) of Wethersfield, Connecticut;
To his daughter, Harriet Mitchell (b. 1793);
To her nephew, Stephen Mix Mitchell;
To his daughter, Harriet Mitchell Slate;
To her daughter, Alice Slate Norton;
Willoughby Farr, Edgewater, New Jersey;
Sold to Mrs. J. Insley Blair in June 1932;
Christie’s, Property from the Collection of Mrs. J. Insley Blair, January 21, 2006, sale 1618, lot 538;
Sotheby’s, Important Americana, October 4, 2007, sale 8323, lot 151.Catalogue noteAccording to tradition, this table was originally owned by Stephen Mix Mitchell (1743-1835), a U.S. Senator and Chief Justice of the Connecticut Superior Court. Born on December 9, 1743 to James and Rebecca (Mix) Mitchell of Wethersfield, Stephen graduated from Yale in 1763 and married Harriet Grant, daughter of the Newtown merchant Donald Grant in 1769.1 Trained as a lawyer, he was admitted to the bar in 1770 and practiced law in Newtown and later in Wethersfield. He served during the Revolutionary War on the Wethersfield Committees of Correspondence and sat in the State House of Representatives before being elected a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1783, 1785, and 1787. He subsequently served as U.S. Senator from Connecticut from 1793 to 1795, filling a seat vacated by Robert Sherman, and later as judge and Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court.2 The present table descended in his family until the early 20th century, at which time it was purchased by the Edgewater, N.J. antiques dealer, Willoughby Farr, who subsequently sold it to Mrs. J. Insley Blair. It remained in her collection and family until 2006. In a 1932 photograph, it appears displayed in her bedroom at Blairhame in Tuxedo Park, New York.
The Rococo carved decoration on this table is exceptional and may be the work of the shop of Henry Hardcastle (fl. Ca. 1750-1756), the progenitor of the most enduring and influential carving tradition in New York during the 18th century. Very similar gadrooning, acanthus carving, and claw feet are exhibited on a New York card table in the collection of Chipstone Foundation with carving attributed to the Hardcastle shop.3 For more information on this craftsman and his shop, see Luke Beckerdite, “Origins of Rococo Style in New York Furniture and Interior Architecture,” American Furniture (Hanover and London: University Press of New England, 1993): 15-37 and Luke Beckerdite, “Immigrant Carvers and the Development of the Rococo Style in New York, 1750-1770,” American Furniture 1996: pp. 233-306.
1 Their portraits by Samuel F. B. Morse survive in the collection of the Connecticut Historical Society Museum.2 See Edward E. and Evelyn M. Salisbury, Family histories and genealogies (1892): 176-179.3 This table is illustrated and attributed to the Hardcastle shop in Luke Beckerdite, “Origins of Rococo Style in New York Furniture and Interior Architecture,” American Furniture (Hanover and London: University Press of New England, 1993): fig. 33, p. 29.