$5,875
Federal Mahogany Inlaid Glazed Desk/Bookcase, probably Massachusetts. Provenance: Deaccessioned by the Preservation Society of Newport from Malbone Castle, a National Historic Landmark Gothic-style castle and the oldest privately owned estate in Newport. Originally the country residence of shipping merchant, Colonel Godfrey Malbone, the estate had the foremost gardens in North America in the 1700s. During Washington's 1766 visit to Malbone and a gala dinner, the house burned to the ground. It was rebuilt by Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Prescott Hall with architect Alexander Jackson Davis in 1849 and remained in the family for over 130 years. The gardens within the seventeen acre estate were designed by architectural theorist Andrew Jackson Downing and include pathways, ponds, a collection of beech trees, marble terraces, pavilions, and bronze sculpture.
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2004-05-20
