Author Archives: saucyindexer
The Fox and Grapes on a Philadelphia High Chest
Aesop’s Fables have long been an inspiration for carvers and “The Fox and the Grapes” can be found carved on furniture, frames and decorative panels. It offers the carver the opportunity to carve round grapes, grape leaves moving in a breeze, knotty trees and a fox with a bushy tail. In this example, on an…
Read moreA Miscellany of 19th-century Tennessee Cabinetmakers & Chairmakers
Well before gaining statehood in 1796, carpenters, cabinetmakers and chairmakers were leaving Eastern Seaboard states to settle in Tennessee. They crossed the mountains using The Great Road (also known as The Great Wagon Road). They advertised their services in local newspapers and, very fortunately for me, and possibly for you, these ads were collected by…
Read moreA Collection of Mid-18th-century French Tools
Several weeks ago I came across an illustrated collection of tools held by Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ). The approximate date of the collection is 1740, which pre-dates Roubo’s “l’art du Menuisier.” The collection, acquired in 1970, includes 84 illustrations. In the BAnQ’s description it is noted the illustrations may be from a…
Read moreHandy-works
It’s Labor Day in the United States and Labour Day or Fête du Travail in Canada. A celebration of the creative work accomplished by hand seems appropriate for today. The hands making things and hands made by hand were made by: No. 1 & 8: The right and left hands of “David” by Michelangelo Buonarroti,…
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