
This auction has ended. View lot details
You may also be interested in
A Federal sulfur-inlaid mahogany serpentine sideboard
Mid-Atlantic states, late 18th/early 19th century
Mid-Atlantic states, late 18th/early 19th century
US$4,000 - US$6,000
Looking for a similar item?
Our European Furniture and Works of Art specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialistAsk about this lot


Client Services (San Francisco)

Client Services (New York)
A Federal sulfur-inlaid mahogany serpentine sideboard
Mid-Atlantic states, late 18th/early 19th century
Mid-Atlantic states, late 18th/early 19th century
Footnotes
The practice of using sulfur as a decorative element instead of expensive contrasting wood or ivory was a favorite practice of Pennsylvania Germans living in Southeastern Pennsylvania; it was typically more dynamic and often pictorial rather than imitating line inlay as it does here. The combination of this decorative element on the formal form as this sideboard may indicate a cabinetmaker who was familiar with furniture made within an urban center but also aware of decorative practices outside the greater urban area.
For more information on the practice of decorating with sulfur, see Monroe H. Fabian, "Sulfur Inlay in Pennsylvania German Furniture," Pennsylvania Folklife, (Fall, 1977), vol. XXVII, no. 1, pp. 2-9, as well as on-going research by Lisa Minardi, assistant curator at Winterthur Museum and Garden, Wilmington, Delaware. The publication of her findings is forthcoming.
Saleroom notices
This sideboard appears to be late 19th century and the inlay is not sulfur.
























