Early American Edmund Townsend Kneehole Executive Desk

Description

Made of Spectacular Penn. Curly Cherry, Poplar and brass. Finished with brushed
shellac and wax.

The original bureau was made … more Made of Spectacular Penn. Curly Cherry, Poplar and brass. Finished with brushed
shellac and wax.

The original bureau was made in the late 1700's in Newport, RI by Edmund Townsend
of the Townsend/Goddard family, Newport's renowned furniture makers. Edmund, a
Quaker and cousin of John Townsend, was the most prolific of all his contemporaries.
An iconic piece of early American furniture, the Newport block-front kneehole bureau is
among the most refined forms to date. This is a replica of Edmund's piece which now
resides at the RISD Museum in Providence, RI. The original is made from Genuine
Mahogany. This replica has been crafted in the most stunning Penn. Curly cherry I have
ever worked with. It is a true masterpiece.

The 20” wide top and sides came from the same 27" wide solid curly cherry board and
were milled by hand. Special ground knives were made in order to replicate the
moldings found on the original Townsend bureau.

The Newport shell carvings, two convex and one concave, adorn the top drawer. Said to
mark the high point of early American furniture making, these naturalistic shells are very
systematic in both design and carving execution. The drawer pulls out and hinges
downward to provide a desk writing surface. The desk gallery is fitted with beautiful
crafted drawers made from same curly cherry board.

The lower concave middle door shell is exactly like the front drawer concave shell.
Each drawer is shaped inside and out and dressed with a hand cut half-mortised lock
and an antiqued brass pull and escutcheon hand cast in Britain from existing hardware
from that period. Hand-cut delicate dovetails are typical of the Goddard family work.
The blocked ogee foot terminates just above the ground with a delicate scroll. less