Sunday, February 27, 2011

Fancy pediment

The flamboyant pediment represented here with this 20 minute pen sketch (5" x 7") is atop a Connecticut Valley desk and bookcase attributed to Silas Rice, circa 1799. I wish my sketch did it justice, but without taking time for an accurate pencil sketch I just have to go with my immediate pen lines whether they are correct or not.

According to the book in which I found its picture, it is privately owned, not in a museum (too bad for the rest of us). It appealed to me because its ornate decorations, especially those little pierced hearts and "fylfots" (swirly teardrop groups), are certainly reminiscent of the more primitive folk art style found in other northeast regions around the same time period.

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