1833

Secretary Bookcase

American (active Philadelphia), 1794 - 1868

This secretary bookcase is part of a seven-piece bedroom suite made for a Elijah Van Syckle, a wealthy wine and liquor merchant, and his wife, Sarah Belinda Smith Van Syckle. In addition to this piece, which is the only one that bears the label of the cabinetmaker, Isaac Jones, the suite includes a monumental four-poster bed, bed steps, a pair of wardrobes, a washstand, and a chest of drawers with an attached mirror, all now owned by Winterthur Museum in Delaware. The lavish use of materials testify to the expense of the commission---each piece is made of solid mahogany boards with rosewood veneer on the outside surfaces. The gilded stencil decoration is typical of that used by Philadelphia cabinetmakers in the 1820s and 1830s.