Desk

“Block front” is the term used to describe the three-dimensional façade of this desk, as it features vertical panels that are alternately “blocked” in and out. The block front form was extremely popular in eighteenth-century New England, and unlike most American styles used at that time, it has no English precedent. It was derived from French and northern European sources.

Signed pieces of American eighteenth-century furniture are quite rare. In an attempt to identify makers, scholars compare the designs and construction techniques of unsigned pieces to those of existing signed examples and search for bills of sale, contemporary inventories, or other historical documentation. The maker of this especially fine piece of handcrafted cabinetry remains unknown, although certain characteristics, including the organization of the desk’s interior, the cut pattern of its skirt (located at the bottom of the desk, stretching between the feet) and the “spurs” on the front feet, tie it to multiple cities and cabinetmakers in Massachusetts. Used to store account books, correspondence, and other important documents, desks like this one were critical to the management and efficiency of a large eighteenth-century household.