FINE  FEDERAL  SIDEBOARD
Boston, Massachusetts
Circa 1810 Attributed to Thomas Seymour

A careful study of this Fine Boston Mahogany Sideboard yields a number of identifiable marks that link this sideboard to other furniture from the cabinet shop of John & Thomas Seymour.
1.  The Sheraton legs with their distinctive Boston reeding are contained by turnings at either end which terminate with a slightly concave and tapered foot.
2.  The use of ivory for the keyhole escutcheons.
3.  The light blue-green paint and paper lining interior as found in other accredited Seymour furniture.
Finally our study concludes with the important details of construction where we find the following:
4.  The dovetailing is extraordinarily fine, compare to a tiered sideboard (plate # 291).
5.  A feature we fail to find in Seymour=s contemporaries, is a mortised construction through the backboards.
6.  The reeding on the top edge along with the delicate moldings along the lower carcass and interior door panels, compare plate # 85 and plate # 98).
7.  The use of richly grained mahogany and mahogany veneer.

All of the above contribute to mark the beginning of a less ornamental Sheraton Period for the Seymour=s.  There were not many successful sideboards of this period, however with the Seymour expert craftsmanship, sensitive eye to proportion, and skillful design, they created a well balanced highly desirable sideboard as can be seen in this piece of furniture.
Literature: Vernon C. Stoneman,
John and Thomas Seymour, Cabinetmakers in Boston, 1794-1816.

Primary Wood: Mahogany

Height: 41     Width: 71 2      Depth: 23

FU-C 3003