Prickett Desk 2011

On the bombé examples made in this shop, pins and tails on rear dovetails are reversed from the usual orientation and do not match the front. This is probably because the two middle drawer sides were angled significantly outward at the top to follow case-side curves. This allowed them to be loaded more heavily, which would have tended to force the drawers sides out, loosen the dovetails, and cause the drawers to bind. If this surmise is correct, this reversal technique reveals the hand and mind of a very mature craftsman with considerable experience with the bombé form over a long period of time, the problem previously encountered and a clever but simple solution worked out in response. In addition to the obvious difference of the bombé secretary sides, this and the three block-front secretaries incorporate individual differences of proportion, overall height, and detail and arrangement of interiors. Some are subtle, others marked. The minor differences may be accounted for by the secretaries having been made over a period of time and the natural drift and variations of hand-work. More important is the role that the patrons who bought these “bespoke” (custom-ordered and made) played in ordering for their specific needs. The four secretaries represent the ultimate expression of conspicuous expense and luxury in urban style centers such as Salem, Boston, Providence and Newport. They 11