Kentucky Federal tambour-door sideboard, attributed to Lexington, Kentucky; cherry and crotch walnut or cherry with maple and applewood inlay, poplar secondary wood; blocked and serpentine facade with central long drawer above a tambour door section, flanked by veneered panels with line inlay and two short drawers over two doors. All drawers veneered and dovetailed, decorated with string inlay having cut corner design and mounted with original oval brass pulls with raised acorn/oak leaf design; doors have flame grained veneer and fan inlaid corners, with crossbanded edges and shield shaped escutcheons. Edge of top and facade below feature cross banded veneers and lighter wood inlaid edges; lower edge of case features a band of lunette inlay running below the doors and extending to the top of the front legs at each side. The four front square tapered legs and two rear legs all feature line inlay and band of lunette inlay at feet. MESDA (Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts) documentation label dated 9/12/82 ref. # 11603 located inside left drawer. Taped inside the central drawer is a note dated 1932 from previous owner Dillis Early (Jr.) of Meade County, Kentucky, witnessed by Violet Neff and notarized by George Neff upon the sale of the sideboard to a Mr. Geo. Owen, stating that the sideboard had been in his family for at least 100 years. Early's great-great grandfather was James Early (1782-1840); tax records for the year 1800 show a James Early in Clark County and a James Earley in Fayette County; James Early's son Lewis was born in Fayette County in 1811 and the family had other early ties to the Lexington area as well. (Our thanks to Gary Gardner for assistance with genealogy research). Note: this sideboard is featured and briefly discussed in The Magazine Antiques article "Living with Antiques: The Nashville Home of Dr. and Mrs. Benjamin H. Caldwell, Jr.," Vol. C No. 3 Sept. 1971, p. 440. (In this reference, it was attributed, probably erroneously, to Meade County). 39" H x 66" W x 18 3/4" D. First quarter 19th century. Provenance: The living estate of Dr. and Mrs. Benjamin H. Caldwell, Nashville, TN, acquired from Mr. Marcellus Frost of Nashville, who purchased it in Kentucky. (Marcellus Frost was a Tennessee thoroughbred dealer instrumental in the creation of the Iroquois Steeplechase race. His wife was the great granddaughter of Nashville silversmith Joseph Thorp Elliston).

Some exfoliation to veneer; 10" veneer crack running width of right side door. Back board of top appears to be an old replacement. Several areas of edge inlay missing (some pieces retained). Left side escutcheon replaced. 3/4" gouge to facade below left drawer. Right rear escutcheon possibly repaired. Rear legs have some unevenness to finish, and right rear leg has splice repair. Shrinkage to sides. Central drawer has built-up left interior side and back of drawer bottom replaced. Scattered small areas of patching to top and crossbanding.