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2024-202, Desk and Bookcase
Desk and bookcase
2024-202, Desk and Bookcase

Desk and bookcase

Date1722-1730
Attributed to
OriginAmerica, Virginia, Williamsburg
MediumBlack walnut, oak, yellow pine, and brass
DimensionsOH: 82 3/4"; OW: 39 3/8"; OD: 24"
Credit LineGift of William & Mary Foundation
Object number2024-202
DescriptionDesk and bookcase. Flat top bookcase with shaped paneled doors hung with iron knife hinges; candleslides below bookcase doors; three moveable shelves in bookcase interior; slant front desk with green broadcloth writing surface; desk interior comprised of a central cross-banded prospect door flanked on each side by three pigeon holes over one wide drawer with a tier of two stepped drawers surmounted by a pigeon hole at each end; hidden drawer behind lowest drawer on each side; central sliding panel reveals well below writing surface; writing surface supported by full heigh lopers; surbase molding (replaced) over two small drawers over two large drawers; straight bracket feet (replaced).Label TextPeter Scott (ca. 1695-1775) is Williamsburg's first known cabinetmaker. Born in Scotland to a gentry family, Scott probably trained in England, arriving in Virginia by 1722. Scott plied his trade in Williamsburg for a remarkable 53 years until his death at age 81. Like many cabinetmakers trained at the beginning of the 18th century, he focused on case furniture and left chairmaking to others. His Williamsburg workforce included two enslaved cabinetmakers whose names are unknown.

Construction methods and wood choices suggest he learned cabinetmaking in an urban British shop. He made few stylistic changes over his long career, and his work was surprisingly consistent in form, construction, and detail for half a century. This desk and bookcase, his earliest known work, mimics London style of the 1710s. Elite furniture buyers in the Chesapeake favored such British standards.ProvenanceDescended in the Baytop family of Gloucester, Virginia. Gift to the College of William and Mary by Caroline Baytop Sinclair. Colonial Williamsburg 2024-present.