With our absolute highest compliments Bay Colony Antiques takes the utmost pleasure in offering this exceptional antique baker's table. We have been privileged to have owned some remarkable early American baker's tables throughout decades of dealing and collecting and we count this offering among the very finest we have ever owned. In the past several years we have owned important examples from Cape Cod, Pennsylvania, and the Hudson Valley of New York each of which found their way into the beloved collections of passionate antique enthusiasts. Baker tables are among the rarer forms of early American tables and many of which are products of the mid to late 19th century. We typically find these tables with distressed surfaces such as scrubbed old growth pine or with a faded old paint wash finish which show signs of continual use throughout centuries. To find an example constructed with old growth tiger maple lumber from the earliest part of the 19th century that has been well cared for is nearly unheard of and for that we count ourselves as fortunate as any dealer of early American fine art and furniture to come before us. Part of the continual thrill of collecting and dealing over the course of a lifetime is the rediscovery of early antique treasures scattered throughout the country just waiting to be claimed by a new generation of collectors. Just when you feel that you have seen everything that's out there a table such as this one comes along and provides a renewed appreciation for the vastness and depth of the early colonial American treasures still waiting to be discovered.
This antique baker's table is likely of New Hampshire or upper New England origins with a construction date very close to the turn of the 19th century circa 1790 - 1810. It is quite possible that this table dates to a generation prior to that timeframe however we practice caution when placing any date on early American furniture as we want every one of our customers to feel confident when purchasing historical antiques and would much rather tell a buyer that their piece may in fact be older than described versus the alternative. We are able to place a general time frame on this antique table by studying the underside of the piece where evidence of antique hand tools, centuries of oxidation, and hand forged iron hardware from the 18th century may all be looked at. The table is supported by five turned legs in the Sheraton manner each of which is fitted with antique caster wheels. One of the rear legs functions as a "gateleg" which swivels 90 degrees on a finger joint attached to the rear apron to support the dropleaf portion of the top allowing for additional surface area. The magnificent old growth quartersawn maple (curly or tiger maple) top is accented beautifully with a premium grade of cherry wood utilized for the table's apron and turned legs. This table is the perfect piece for a collector wanting to have the extravagance of the high style American federal period merged with the charming simplicity of the rural early American country tradition. This antique baker's table measures 41 3/4" long x 19 1/4" deep x 29 1/2" tall and the top expands to 40 1/2" wide when the dropleaf is folded upward.
