Gentlemen, A friend of mine made this table and I liked the looks so I posted it for you to see with his description. He told me "copied from a Table in a Book Published in 1924- Early Primitive New England Furniture" It's not mine or for
my collection. I just thought it was nice looking. Ya'll are reading way too much into this like Kermit says.
When I spend days hunting down another Shreckengost rifle to post pictures of,
I get 130 people reading it and no appreciation for the effort, not even a comment. Now I post a nice looking bench and nothing but criticism. Wondering if my time might be better spent on other pursuits.
First, I would like to point out that I did not just offer criticism, but rather both a possible explanation of how a similar original piece could have come to be made in the period and two more ways to make it more authentic to the 18th century.
I don’t have any antique furniture books from the 20’s, but I do have one from the 30’s and three or four from the 40’s and more recent ones as well. I do know that some furniture in the earlier books was incorrectly identified as to date, location made and sometimes as to the century the furniture was made. It was not meant as fakery, but rather the information provided on some pieces from family history was just not correct and the authors did not know or did not point out the incorrect or put-together pieces.
The Henry Ford museum was fooled as late as 1970 when they bought the now famous “Brewster Chair.” I remember when it was announced they acquired it and there was a buzz all over the American Antique Furniture world that someone had found a truly historic early 17th century piece. However, it turned out to be something someone made to look old. .
“The Brewster Chair
In 1970, Henry Ford Museum purchased a remarkable 17th century armchair from an antiques dealer who stumbled upon it sitting in the parlor of a house in Maine. It was a massive, throne-like chair made up of spindles, a type long associated with one of the founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, William Brewster. Unfortunately, after its purchase, an extensive analysis of the chair proved it to be a modern fake. Henry Ford Museum keeps the chair as an educational tool.
Made: ca. 1969
ID: 70.65.“
http://www.thehenryford.org/museum/furnished.aspxTo suggest this piece as it stands is a good 18th century repro, would be like saying your GGGG Grandpa Ben Schrecengost 1788-1865: built a rifle when he was 11 years old (to get it into the 18th century date). Such a thing is possible, but I bet your ancestor would have chuckled had someone suggested your Ancestor had done it, when your ancestor was living.
I did not intend to cut down the repro bench, but rather offer ways to improve it and make it more likely to be what may have been assembled in the 18th century, if the person who made it cared about that.
Very best of luck tracking down original rifles made by your Ancestor, though. I think it is a marvelous thing you are doing for your own family history and for the general knowledge of the collector community.
Gus
