Some time back, I was contacted by a customer in possession of a late Georgian English Rosewood Sofa Table. The table, while in near perfect condition, presented a problem in that it would not support the weight of the clients equally valuable and important Remington Bronze Sculpture.
The original intention of the client and his designer was to
have the Sofa Table altered by shortening the original dovetailed drawers in
order to make room for a support beam to be installed under the top in the
center of the frame. While this would have solved the immediate dilemma it
would have destroyed an almost perfect antique and severely affected it value.
Never being one who enjoys decimating cultural artifacts, I instead suggested that we take detailed measurements of the original and make an adapted reproduction that would retain the aesthetic quality of the original and sell the original to another collector thus preserving its integrity. Given the monetary value of Georgian Sofa Table, this was also the most economic solution.
In addition to shortening the original drawer length to allow for the addition of the support beam, the adaptation also added a stretcher between the legs, thus adding additional structural support.
While the original form did not include a stretcher it was still in keeping with the period style.
Without even cutting into any materials the process of measuring every part of the original and creating a working set of drawings was a challenge in and of itself.
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