Bay Colony Antiques is proud to offer for sale this fantastic late 18th / early 19th century antique country primitive farmhouse / deacon's bench. We are always in the market for these but most that we encounter are riddled with repairs and we simply won't offer those to our clients. We've been a bit bothered that we haven't had any in stock, but our patience has paid off and we're thrilled to bring yet another great early Deacons Bench to market for our collectors around the world. We usually have these sold before we even find them, but this bench is unspoken for and has a very nice worn patina and an attractive stenciling with an eagle at the center clutching a bundle of arrows and olive branches. The seal of the United States that was adopted in the 18th century has 13 arrows where this one has 19. The arrows should be in the eagles left talon and the olive branches should be in the right but that’s an honest mistake in a time before little details like that could be looked up on the internet. The extra 6 arrows might have been deliberate, perhaps to symbolize Indiana becoming the 19th state in 1816. The bench has finely formed arms with a graceful curve and rolled knuckle ends. The bench came to us nice and sturdy & we always have these tightened up with a special glue that penetrates the joints and expands. The bench is in wonderful condition with our only notes being minor paint loss, and one of the back legs has been replaced. The bench measures 80” wide (77 1/2” seat) x 24” deep x 34” tall. The seat measures 74 1/2” wide between the arms x 18” deep with a 17 1/4” seat height.
