EUR
CAD
AUD
GBP
MXN
HKD
CNY
MYR
SEK
SGD
CHF
THBVery Rare American Pilgrim Century Court Cupboard, Martha's Vineyard Provenance
About Seller
117 Tunnel Road
Asheville, NC 28805
United States
Based in Asheville, North Carolina, Brunk Auctions has been conducting sales of fine and decorative arts for over 30 years. Auctions are held in our North Carolina sale room but attracts a global audience. Founded by Robert Brunk in 1983, the auctions became well known for their integrity and profes...Read more
Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Two ways to bid:
- Leave a max absentee bid and the platform will bid on your behalf up to your maximum bid during the live auction.
- Bid live during the auction and your bids will be submitted real-time to the auctioneer.
Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 | $25 |
| $100 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $200 |
| $3,000 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,000 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
About Auction
LiveApr 9, 2026
Deaccessions including rare American furniture led by an early sawn dressing table from NY or CT, an NC dressing table, a CT Pilgrim Century court cupboard, a Kings County, NY, kast, Thomas Sully’s artist’s cabinet, furniture ex Garbisch, Garvan, Amory Haskell, and others; a Jacques Gruber Art Nouveau bookcase and Aesthetic Movement furniture; 50 samplers including Otis (Boston) and Lee (Philadelphia) families; Continental furniture, clocks, and a room screen by Gaston Priou; fine art by James Butler, Arthur B. Davies, Blakelock, Abraham Walkowitz, Whistler, and others. Brunk Auctions support@brunkauctions.com
View Full Catalog (224)
- Lot Description
probably Guilford, Connecticut, late 17th century, two sections, carved oak, some applied elements possibly exotic hardwoods, relief carved friezes, top with single door trapezoidal cabinet, base with two door cabinet, lower section with engraved brass plaque to central top of base, note to proper left door interior, 53 x 49-1/2 x 20-1/4 in.
Provenance: Acquired through possible descent from the family of Thomas Vinson of Martha's Vineyard to Harriet Marshall Pease or Maria Thurston Pease of Edgartown, Mass., between 1913 and 1919; acquired by Charles Woolsey Lyon, New York City; Purchased from Charles Woolsey Lyon in 1919; Property from the Brooklyn Museum
Note: Note to door interior discusses ownership history and research (see photo). Plaque reads "Ancient Cupboard once the property of Thomas Vincent of Martha's Vineyard Sept. 15 1656 to abt. 1743. Great great great grandfather of Harriet Marshall Pease".
This cupboard is one of five closely related examples, four of which, including this example, are discussed by Patricia E. Kane in "Furniture of the New Haven Colony: The Seventeenth-Century Style". One is at the Stowe-Day Foundation in Hartford, one at the Adam Stanton House in Clinton, Connecticut; the third is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the fifth cupboard is known only by photos and descended in the family of John Eliot. The similarities between those cupboards and this example are such that Kane questions the traditional Massachusetts origin of this cupboard.
Construction and decorative techniques characteristic of this group of cupboards include foliated S-scrolls drawn with a compass, a great torus molding that incorporates a drawer, cylindrical balusters that form the corner posts of the frieze, moldings and ornaments secured with wooden pegs. In this particular cupboard, the long spindles on the front and rear stiles are different than the other cupboards in this group but are found on two other cupboards with drawers, also attributed to Guilford, both of which are at Yale University. The S-scroll decoration of the cornice is interrupted here by triglyphs also seen on the cupboard at the Metropolitan Museum and on a chest with a drawer, illustrated in Luke Vincent Lockwood, "Colonial Furniture in America", (1901) fig 5, p. 19.
The overall form of this small group of cupboards shows the influence of London design while the decorative elements reflect both London and provincial traditions, discussed in detail by Frances Gruber Safford, "American Furniture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Early Colonial Period The Seventeenth-Century and William and Mary Styles" (2007), pp. 280-283.
Exhibited: "Furniture of the New Haven Colony: the Seventeenth Century Style", New Haven Colony Historical Society, New Haven, CT, April 15-Sept 9, 1973; "New Haven Colony Furniture", New Haven Colony Historical Society, New Haven, CT, April 15-August 31, 1973.
Literature: Wallace Nutting, "Furniture of the Pilgrim Century" (Marshall Jones Company, Boston, 1921), p. 126.; Patricia E. Kane, "Furniture of the New Haven Colony: The Seventeenth-Century Style" (New Haven, 1973), cat. no. XI, pp. 30-31.
- Provenance
Acquired through possible descent from the family of Thomas Vinson of Martha's Vineyard to Harriet Marshall Pease or Maria Thurston Pease of Edgartown, Mass., between 1913 and 1919; acquired by Charles Woolsey Lyon, New York City; Purchased from Charles Woolsey Lyon in 1919; Property from the Brooklyn Museum
- Shipping Info
-
Purchased items will be available for pick up or shipping from our Asheville, North Carolina auction facility within ten business days of the auction, or will be assessed a storage fee of $5.00 per day, per item. Purchaser agrees that packing and shipping is done at the purchaser's risk and that the purchaser will pay in advance all packing expenses, materials, carrier fees and insurance charges. At our discretion, items will either be packed by an agent such as a packaging store or Brunk Auctions. Please allow two weeks for shipping after payment is received. Shipment of large items is the responsibility of the purchaser. We are happy to provide names of carriers and shippers if a purchaser so requests. Brunk Auctions will have no liability for any loss or damage to shipped items.
-
- Payment & Auction Policies
-
Available payment options
-
-
- Buyer's Premium
- Condition
Very good integrity overall with expected wear and shrinkage separations, turnings and bosses currently lacking ebonizing, typical scattered restorations to applied bosses, tin patch to back, minor molding losses, some distress and patches at lower door framing elements, bottom board and lower front framing rail restored, slight loss in height Note - Brunk Auctions makes every effort to offer accurate and thorough information, but encourages prospective bidders to inspect items in person whenever possible. Condition statements are provided as a courtesy for general guidance and should not be considered complete or definitive. They do not represent a warranty or assumption of liability by Brunk Auctions. Certain condition issues may not be specifically noted in the report but may be visible in the accompanying photographs, which are considered part of the overall condition report. Please refer to our Terms of Sale for complete information and contact us for additional photos or information as needed.
