T S WINTERTHUR FURNITURE FORUM FF Brochure 2016_FOR ONLINE_LOWRES.pdftable (detail), New York, ... Reception Galleries Reception Atrium Thursday ... working characteristics of tropical

THE SEWELL C. BIGGS

WINTERTHUR FURNITURE FORUM

EXOTIC WOODS, MASTERFUL MAKERS: TROPICAL HARDWOODS AND THE LUXURY

FURNITURE TRADE, 1600–1850April 7–9, 2016

13120 FF Brochure 2016_FOR ONLINE_2013 1/14/16 1:47 PM Page 5

Amarillo, brazilletto, calamander, ebony, mahogany, rosewood, sabicu,satinwood, and snakewood: these are but a few of the many hardwoods shippedfrom tropical forests to ports throughout the Western world, starting in the 1590s,for use as dyestuffs, pharmaceuticals, flavorants, and in shipbuilding, architecture,and luxury furniture. At first expensive and available only in small amounts for thefurniture trade, cabinetmakers chose exotic tropical hardwoods to decorate theirbest pieces. When England’s parliament ended import duties on lumber in 1721,merchants rushed to profit from trade in tropical hardwoods, especially woodsmarketed as mahogany. Cabinetmakers and consumers quickly adopted mahogany,cedrela, and similar species for their most fashionable furniture. Consumers relishedthe rich colors and eye-catching figures of tropical woods, used both for solid workand veneers. Cabinetmakers valued their dimensional stability and workability. Intheir best furniture made from these woods, cabinetmakers aligned design andmaterials, merging art and nature to create powerful aesthetic statements. At thesame time, the unregulated harvest of exotic hardwood species for the furnitureand shipbuilding trades depended on the labor of enslaved workers and contributedto changes in tropical forests, a legacy that continues to the present.

Henry Francis du Pont evinced a particular fondness for 18th-century Americanmahogany furniture. In assembling the collections at Winterthur, he created a world-class destination for viewing furniture crafted from this and other extraordinarytropical hardwoods. We invite you to join us for an invigorating series of talks, tours,and workshops focusing on the luxury furniture trade. Explore these exotic woodsand enjoy revealing scholarship to include:

• Mahogany and the coinciding revolution in 18th-century furniture design;

• Mahogany furniture made in the major cabinetmaking centers of theAmericas, from Boston, Newport, and Philadelphia to Nassau, Bahama, and Havana, Cuba;

• Historic trade in mahogany and other tropical furniture hardwoods such as ebony, cedrela, sabicu, satinwood, and rosewood;

• Historic practices used to harvest, grade, market, and machine mahoganylumber and veneers;

• The current status of mahogany and related commercial tropical hardwoodsaround the world.

Sponsored in part by


Cover: High chest, made by Benjamin Frothingham Jr., Charlestown, Mass., 1760–85. Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont 1967.1445; fold-in page: A CHART of theWESTINDIES From the latest Marine JOURNALS and SURVEYS (detail), William Barker (Engraver), Mathew Carey (Publisher), Philadelphia, 1795–1818. Gift of DeanA. Fales, Jr. 1954.0026; Inside: Illustration from Chaloner & Fleming (Liverpool, Eng.), The Mahogany Tree. Liverpool: Rockliff and Son, 1850. Printed Book andPeriodical Collection, Winterthur Library; chest, Rhode Island, 1795–1805. Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont 1961.0950; sideboard with knife boxes, Joseph B. Barry,Philadelphia, 1808–15. Museum purchase with funds provided by the Henry Francis du Pont Collectors Circle 1988.0008 and 1988.0008.002, .003. Reverse side: teatable (detail), New York, 1765–75. Gift of Henry Francis du Pont 1959.2928. Mailing panel: tea table, Philadelphia, 1765–80. Gift of Henry Francis du Pont 1960.1061


THURSDAY, APRIL 7

FURNITURE FORUM SCHEDULE

3:20–3:40 pmAfternoon Break

3:40–4:00 pmObject PresentationRosalie Hooper, Lois F. McNeil Fellow,Winterthur Program in American Material Culture

4:00–4:45 pmThe Most Fashionable Assortment: Woods inPhiladelphia Furniture, 1700–1820Alexandra Kirtley, The Montgomery-Garvan Curator of American DecorativeArts, Philadelphia Museum of Art

4:45–5:30 pmWhat’s In a Name? That Which We Call aRose(wood) by Any Other Name Would Smell AsSweetPage Talbott, President and CEO,Historical Society of Pennsylvania

5:30–7:45 pmReceptionGalleries Reception Atrium

Thursday9:00–9:10 amWelcome and Introductory Remarks J. Thomas Savage, Director of MuseumAffairs, Winterthur

9:10–9:25 amExotic Woods and the Winterthur Museum, Garden& Library CollectionsGregory J. Landrey, Dwight and LorriLanmon Director of Academic Affairs,Winterthur

9:25–10:10 amFrom Rainforest to Parlor: Mahogany in Early AmericaJennifer Anderson, Associate Professor ofHistory, Stony Brook University, Universityof New York

10:10–10:40 amMorning Break

10:40–11:25 amCómodas Cubanas: Sacristy Chests and the MahoganyTrade on the Island of CubaDennis Carr, Carolyn and Peter LynchCurator of Decorative Arts and Sculpture,Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

11:25 am–12:10 pmIngrained: Nathaniel Gould and the Mahogany Tradesin 18th-Century SalemKem Widmer,Researcher, North ShoreDecorative Arts Research, Cornish Flat, NH

12:10–1:30 pmLunch

1:30–1:50 pmObject PresentationAmy Griffin, Lois F. McNeil Fellow,Winterthur Program in American Material Culture

1:50–2:35 pm“We hear the sound of hammers and the grating of saws”: Chinese Export FurnitureKarina Corrigan, H. A. Crosby ForbesCurator of Asian Export Art, Peabody EssexMuseum, Salem, MA

2:35–3:20 pmSylva’s Exquisite Corpse: Exotic Woods, ExoticApplications of Local Woods, and the Tree Origin/Wood Identification/ Lumber Trade/ FurnitureOrigin EquationAlan Miller,Antiques and Decorative ArtsConsultant, Quakertown, PA

To register, please call 800.448.3883 or visit winterthur.org/furnitureforum.


FRIDAY, APRIL 8 & SATURDAY, APRIL 9

Friday9:00–9:05 amWelcome RemarksJoshua W. Lane, Lois F. and Henry S.McNeil Curator of Furniture, Winterthur

9:05–9:45 amThe Wendy A. Cooper Furniture ForumLectureTropical Woods in British and North AmericanFurniture, 1600–1800: A Political andEconomic HistoryDr. Adam Bowett, IndependentFurniture Historian, North Yorkshire, UK

9:45–10:30 amJamaica; the Land of Wood and WaterDr. John Cross, Senior Lecturer inCultural Studies at the Sir John CassFaculty of Art, Architecture and DesignLondon Metropolitan University

10:30–11:00 amMorning Break

11:00–11:45 amExotic Woods and Veneer in Pre-1730 New EnglandRobert F. Trent, Private Consultant andHistoric Upholsterer, Wilmington, DE

11:45 am–12:30 pmThe Red and the Black: Snakewood and OtherTropical Hardwoods in Early New England FurnitureGerald W. R. Ward, The Katharine LaneWeems Senior Curator of AmericanDecorative Arts and Sculpture Emeritus,Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

12:30–1:50 pmLunch

1:50–2:10 pmWinterthur Object PresentationCatharine Dann Roeber, AssistantProfessor of Decorative Arts and MaterialCulture, Winterthur

2:10–3:40 pmThe Robert Francis Fileti EndowedLecture/Video Assist DemonstrationCarving a Piecrust Table TopGregory J. Landrey, Dwight and LorriLanmon Director of Academic Affairs,Winterthur & Alan Breed, CabinetMaker, Rollinsford, NH

3:40–4:00 pmAfternoon Break

4:00–4:10 pmResearch DiscoveryHarvesting Honduras Mahogany: The DominyConnection Charles Hummel, Curator Emeritus,Winterthur

4:10–4:55 pmPlain, Branch, Mottle & Curl: Circular-Sawingof Mahogany Veneers in Boston by BaldwinMills, 1825–1859Robert D. Mussey, Jr.,Milton, MA

4:55–5:40 pmMahogany and the Making of the CentralAmerican LandscapeCraig S. Revels, Associate Professor ofGeography, Central WashingtonUniversity, WA

5:40 pmFarewell

Saturday9:00–10:30 am and 11:00 am–12:30 pmOptional Workshops or Field TripPlease see workshop descriptions for moreinformation on options and registration.

FURNITURE FORUM SCHEDULE

To register, please call 800.448.3883 or visit winterthur.org/furnitureforum.


WORKSHOPS OPTIONSSATURDAY, APRIL 9

9:00–10:30 AM AND 11:00 AM–12:30 PM

Only registered conference attendees may participate in workshops or field trip. As workshops fill quickly, wewill do our best to accommodate your first choice on a first-registered, first-served basis. Please plan onarriving in the Galleries Reception Atrium at least 10–15 minutes prior to workshop time. $75 per workshop.

Mahogany/Braziletto/Cedrella/Sabicu and Beyond: Object-Based Macroscopic Study of Tropical HardwoodsGregory J. Landrey, Dwight and Lorri LanmonDirector of Academic Affairs, Winterthur, MarkAnderson, Senior Furniture Conservator, Winterthur,and Joshua W. Lane, Lois F. and Henry S. McNeilCurator of Furniture, Winterthur

Learn to recognize features of wood by eye to help inidentifying wood types and in distinguishingtemperate and tropical hardwoods. Insight into theworking characteristics of tropical hardwoods will begained through close study of tool marks and otherclues on furniture in Winterthur’s collection.

Bermuda Cedar Furniture: The Development of an Island Aesthetic, 1680–1780Keith Adams, Private Collector, New Castle, Delaware

Objects from the presenter’s own collection,supplemented by examples from Winterthur, willground the study of forms, materials, construction,and decoration unique to furniture made in Bermuda,with emphasis on developing connoisseurship skillsand gaining perspective on the current marketplace.

OPTIONAL WORKSHOPS

Secondary Woods in British FurnitureDr. Adam Bowett, Independent Furniture Historian

Drawing on examples from the presenter’sfoundational 2003 reference book, Woods in BritishFurniture-Making, 1400–1900, supplemented byexamples from Winterthur, participants will gaininsight into secondary woods used in Britishfurniture, complicating received wisdom about theavailability and use of temperate and tropical forestspecies in both England and America.

Tropical Hardwood Identification: 50 Shades of BrownDr. Harry Alden, Alden Identification Service

Hone skills at identifying major tropical hardwoodgenera and species used in the historic furnituretrade through close study with a professional woodanalyst. Examples from Winterthur will provideopportunity for close study.


OPTIONAL FIELD TRIP

INFORMATIONAll lectures will be held in Copeland Lecture Hall (located in the Visitor Center). Optional workshops ($75 each) willtake place at Winterthur on Saturday, April 9. Please plan on arriving in the Galleries Reception Atrium at least 10to 15 minutes prior to workshop time. Please note that field trip participants will provide their own transportation.Directions to Hearne Hardwoods (a 30-minute drive from Winterthur) will be distributed upon registration.

Conference Fee: $435; $375 Members of Winterthur and nonprofit professionals; $200 students and graduateswithin the past five years with valid student ID.

Fee Includes: Thursday and Friday lectures, lunches, and coffee breaks; Thursday evening reception. Extrafee for optional workshops and field trip ($75 each).

Cancellation: Winterthur reserves the right to cancel the conference or tours. Should Winterthur cancel, participantswill be issued a full refund. Furniture Forum participants who cancel by March 16, regardless of the reason, will beissued a full refund minus a $50 handling fee. No refunds after March 16.

Lodging: Lodging is the responsibility of the registrant. Winterthur will provide a list of local accommodationsupon request. Please ask when you call to register.

Scholarships: The Sewell C. Biggs Furniture Forum Endowment and the Foundation for Appraisal Educationgenerously underwrote scholarships for graduate students and young professionals in the decorative arts orrelated fields wishing to attend the 2016 Furniture Forum. The FAE scholarship is named in honor of the lateWendell D. Garrett. For application information, visit winterthur.org/furnitureforum or call 800.448.3883.Scholarship application deadline is March 1, 2016.

FIELD TRIP TO HEARNE HARDWOODSSATURDAY, APRIL 99:00 AM–12:30 PM

Spend Saturday morning at one of the largest specialty lumber yards worldwide. Hearne Hardwoods has more than 140 species of domestic and exotic hardwood lumber in stock. During this two-hour tour, learn the process by which logs are turned first into lumber and then into products. Proprietor Rick Hearne and staff will cover processes and techniques including forest management, machining for musical instrument building, and milling and drying.

Please note that field trip participants will provide their own transportation.Directions to Hearne Hardwoods will be distributed upon registration.


SATURDAY PREFERENCES

Workshop Session One: Saturday, April 9, 9:00–10:30 am

First Preference

Alternate 1

Alternate 2

Workshop Session Two: Saturday, April 9, 11:00 am–12:30 pm

First Preference

Alternate 1

Alternate 2

orField Trip: Saturday, April 9, 9:00 am–12:30 pm

o Field Trip to Hearne Hardwoods, Oxford, PA

OPTIONAL WORKSHOP PREFERENCESSaturday, April 9, 9:00–10:30 am and 11:00 am–12:30 pmPlease indicate your preferences in order below. We will accommodate your workshoppreferences on a first-registered, first-served basis.

Winterthur is pleased to offer 2016 Furniture Forum participants the option to register forworkshops or an optional field trip on Saturday, April 9.


REGISTRATION FORM

Registration Fee Includes: Thursday and Friday lectures, lunches, and coffee breaks; Thursdayevening reception; option of registering for workshops or field trip ($75 each).

r Winterthur and nonprofit professionals ......................................................................................$375Winterthur Member # ____________ (Nonprofit professionals, include business card.)

r Nonmembers................................................................................................................................$435(Nonmember registrants receive a complimentary one-year membership to Winterthur.)

r Students and graduates within the past five years ...................................................................$200(Include a copy of current or recent student ID.)

r Scholarships have generously been sponsored by the Sewell C. Biggs Furniture Forum Endowmentand the Foundation for Appraisal Education ................................................................................$0(See Information section within.)

r Optional workshops or field trip $75 each ......................................................................$_______r I/We would like to make a gift to the Winterthur

Scholarship Fund* ...........................................................................................................$_______TOTAL ENCLOSED ..................................................................................................................$_______

Name (as you would like it listed on your name tag and on the participant list)

Address

City State Zip code

Daytime telephone

E-mail

r Check enclosed, payable to Winterthur Museum

r Charge my � m Visa m MasterCard m American Express m Discover

Account number Exp. date

Cardholder name

Signature

3 WAYS TO REGISTER• Complete form and mail with payment to Winterthur Information and Tours Office, 5105 Kennett

Pike, Winterthur, Delaware 19735.• Complete form and fax to 302.888.4953.• Call 800.448.3883.

*The Scholarship Fund provides conference registration fees for students and young professionals in the decorative arts field andrelated studies. Your gift is tax deductible; a receipt will be provided.

Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library • 5105 Kennett Pike • Winterthur, Delaware • 19735

THE SEWELL C. BIGGS WINTERTHUR FURNITURE FORUMExotic Woods, Masterful Makers: Tropical Hardwoods

and the Luxury Furniture Trade, 1600–1850April 7–9, 2016

For more information, please call 800.448.3883 or visit winterthur.org/furnitureforum.


Documents

T S WINTERTHUR FURNITURE FORUM FF Brochure 2016_FOR ONLINE_LOWRES.pdftable (detail), New York, ... Reception Galleries Reception Atrium Thursday ... working characteristics of tropical