CHARLESTOWN OR BOSTON, CIRCA 1810

The crossed-stem and triple-swag inlay seen on this card table are unusual and distinctive features. While similar stems are seen on the work of Thomas Howard (1744-1833) of Pawtuxet and Providence (see lot 173), the table's form and its other inlaid ornament resemble the well-documented card tables made by Jacob Forster (1764-1838) of Charlestown. Displaying a demilune top, pictorial inlay and simple apron stringing, this table bears a number of elements that when combined have been attributed to Forster (Hewitt et al., The Work of Many Hands: Card Tables in Federal America, 1790-1820 (New Haven, 1982), pp. 141-142). The table most closely related to that offered here is a demilune card table by an unidentified maker in the collections of Historic Deerfield, Inc.; like this table, the comparable example bears the crossed stems, pendant ovoid inlay and stringing that runs through the ends of legs (see Fales, The Furniture of Historic Deerfield (New York, 1976), cat. 284, p. 137).