Bidspirit auction | AN IMPORTANT NEW YORK QUEEN

AN IMPORTANT NEW YORK QUEEN ANNE CARD TABLE CIRCA 1750 - Attributed to New York cabinetmaker Gilbert Ash, this card table was purportedly part of the collection of Mrs. J. Amory Haskell, a major collector of American furniture whose 7000 piece collection was sold at Parke Bernet in 1944. The densely figured mahogany turret top card table with a green baize-lined interior is an exceptional example with rectangular top featuring distinct turret-form corners and hinges to open and reveal a green felt-lined playing surface. The interior is fitted with four sunken oval counter-wells and four circular turrets for candlesticks. The case, with a single long drawer having its period brass batwing pull, is raised on four cabriole legs, the front two being carved with that New York characteristic of cross-hatched lambrequins within acanthus carving at each front leg knee - all four terminating in classic pad feet on integral discs. Joseph Downs (1905-1954), the early scholar of American furniture and long-time Curator of American Decorative Arts at the Winterthur Museum confirms that the New York cabinet maker Gilbert Ash introduced the use of cross-hatched lambrequins within acanthus carving, as seen on the front legs of this card table, well before the American Revolution, around 1757. Provenance footnote: Sold at Copake Auction on January 1, 2020 for $12,300 with the following description. Rare 18th c. Queen Anne mahogany New York turret top card table. New York C. 1740's. Probably by Gilbert Ash (New York). 32' x 16' x 29 1/2' Ht. (closed). This piece was part of the collection of: Mrs. J. AMORY HASKELL - and is stamped underside 'PROPERTY OF MRS. J.A. HASKELL.' Mrs. Haskell (1864-1942) owned one of the largest and most distinguished collections of American furniture. Items from her collection can be found in the collections of several important museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Winterthur Museum, and the Yale University Art Gallery. In 1944, Parke-Bernet Galleries in New York sold The Americana Collection of the Late Mrs. J. Amory Haskell, which consisted of over 7,000 lots. Measures 29.5 x 32.25 x 16 inches. The playing surface measures 32 x 32 inches. Without proof of exemption, be aware that internet sales tax applies to all Internet transactions and local sales tax may apply to local pick-up transactions. Please be aware that this lot is too large to ship by conventional carrier such as UPS, USPS or FedEx and will instead require local pick-up, delivery by a freight carrier or delivery by a blanket-wrap shipper. The cost most likely will not be low. Dimensions Measures 29.5 x 32.25 x 16 inches. The playing surface measures 32 x 32 inches. Condition Old, possibly original, finish, 5 to 7 scratches that can be felt with one's finger but are minor ot the top, some are visible, old felt, very good condition inside, very good and solid at the original heavy brass hinges, gate leg mechanism very good, probably the original brass pull, very good overall. Provenance Provenance: The estate of John Adair Jr. (1942-2025), founder and proprietor of Kurofune Antiques, Tokyo (est. 1978). A world-renowned destination for Japanese basketry, prints and furniture, Kurofune was a landmark destination featured in The New York Times, The New Yorker, and The Wall Street Journal.