40 Broadway Albany NY 12202   (518) 434-2800

bankshot@bankshotantiques.com

This table is shown as found with no repairs or restoration done.–The quarter-sawn oak (here obscured by the old shellac) will be more pronounced once refinished.  Being oak, it will lend itself to a wide range of finish color options.

The “York” style (BBC’s model name) is a close cousin to the “Narragansett” - the main difference being the legs.  While the time frame of these models is similar, the York leg silhouette harkens back to an earlier time (1870’s) and is more slender and tapered like an upside-down witches hat, giving the table a lighter, more Victorian shape.  The Narragansett leg is more barrel-like, giving the table a little heavier, post-Victorian 1890’s look.  Both of these popular models were manufactured by several companies with small variations.

This particular table is an Oliver Briggs of Boston.  In typical Briggs construction, the quarter-panels above the legs bolt into both the side and end panels of the cabinet.  Brunswick-Balke-Collender generally constructed their end and quarter-panels in one piece, reserving the Briggs quarter-panel style of cabinet for  some of their heavier models like the Pfister.   While these differences are interesting to the restorer, I mention the differences only as reassurance that one need not purchase a BBC to get an excellently made table.  In this time period, overall quality was generally even among the manufacturers.  People often enjoy having a table by one of the smaller regional manufacturers because they themselves have a connection to the place of the table’s origin.