Lot 25: Wash Stand

Estimate: $10,000 – $15,000
Sold: $44,250

Pine, original yellow ochre stained finish, poplar drawer bottoms, original turned cherry wood drawer pulls, finely dovetailed backsplash, with slight arched back board, (a crack in the back board occurred when it was returned from the museum exhibit), flush dovetailed and graduated drawers, 4″ h (top), 6″ h (middle), 8″ h (bottom), New Lebanon, NY, attributed to James V. Calver (1839-1871), at least three related stands exist, one of which is marked “Made by James V. Calver April 1862″, 38 1/4″ h, 28″ w (top), 18 1/2” d.

(Note: a 1950’s picture of a very young Brian McCue standing next to the wash stand at the McCue’s Lexington home, previous to the purchase of “the Cathedral” – Trustee’s desk.)

Note:
One of Dr. McCue’s first seven purchases.
Andrews said “it came from the Nurse Shop of the Church Family, New Lebanon…”
See Shaker Design, Sprigg, June, #40, p. 86-87, for a similar example made and signed by James Calver in 1862.

Provenance:
Purchased from Andrews in 1946 for $55
(Dr. McCue’s Journal Entry #5)

Illustrated:
Religion in Wood, Andrews, Edward Deming and Faith, 1971, p. 72
The Complete Book of Shaker Furniture, Rieman, T. and Burks, J., 1993, p. 123

Exhibited:
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, 1964