1870s, three pieces including a marble top washstand, marble top with applied backsplash supporting a towel bar with acorn finial, single long drawer above a single cabinet door, featuring a central lion's head, raised paneled sides, allover relief carving with dolphins, fruit and foliate designs, on casters (expected light wear to marble top; wood chip and loss to lower left corner below door); a dresser featuring a mirrored support with turned and fluted columns, rectangular beveled mirror with relief carved lion head pierced and scrolled crest, the dresser with four graduated long drawers each with relief carved stylized bellflower carving flanked by fully turned fluted tapered columns, raised panel sides, suppressed bun feet (wear, surface loss, and shrinkage cracks to top; small molding loss to left lower side of mirror support; escutcheons with wear and minor losses as drawers open by pulling key at escutcheon; lacking key; these drawers were built and designed not to have knobs and have never had knobs; bottom drawer missing lock); and a full-size high back relief carved bed, triple paneled headboard with an applied crest featuring two rampant lions flanked by carved finials with acorn, well developed relief carved footboard and side rails, on casters (appears to be in good estate condition).
Washstand 55 x 29.5 x 19.5 in.; Dresser 81 x 39 x 25 in.; Headboard 70 x 56 in.
Retains an old mellow honey colored finish.
This bedroom suite was originally from Four Acres, Benjamin Newton Duke's Durham home built in 1911. The large granite and brick mansion was demolished in 1961 to make way for the modern home office of North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company.
From the Estate of the late Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans, Durham, NC.
Additional high-resolution photos are available at LelandLittle.com