The Limestone University Charleston Inlaid Mahogany Serpentine Secretary with Bookcase

Late 18th century, Charleston, South Carolina, mahogany veneers, red cedar and white pine secondary (professional secondary wood analysis available), two part form, the bookcase featuring a broken arched pediment, the central tympanum with oval floral inlay flanked by two smaller repeating oval floral inlay, the pediment terminus with inlaid pinwheel, central finial, dentil molding, the upper frieze with seven oval inlaid floral metope panels alternating with six inlaid triglyph motifs, case conforming hinged doors with six window lights each and veneered mullions, shelved interior (louvered grooves to each side for shelves); the desk with molded top, pull-out upper butler's drawer with dovetailed case construction, developed interior, the prospect door with large oval floral and leaf inlay with quarter fans, opening to reveal two pigeon holes and two small drawers, flanked by two document drawers, the remaining interior with eight valanced pigeonholes, and (14) small drawers, above four long drawers, all drawers with applied cock beading, book-matched figured veneer and inlaid quarter fans, three-quarter dust boards, canted quarter columns developed with graduated bellflower inlays, molded base with distinctive applied bracket feet facings with paterae oval inlay to the front facing and bellflower inlay at chamfered facing, light and dark inlay throughout upper and lower case; pencil and numeric inscriptions to drawer case.

103.75 (102.25 in. to top of pediment) x 56 x 27 in.; desk case width 53.75 in., bookcase width 52 in.; bookcase depth 15.5 in.; butler drawer height 9.75 in.; bracket foot height 6.25 in.

From the Historic Collection of Limestone University, Gaffney, South Carolina
Limestone College, now Limestone University, was founded in 1845 in Gaffney, South Carolina, by English-born Baptist minister Dr. Thomas Curtis and his son William. Originally established as the Limestone Springs Female High School, it was among the first women’s colleges in the nation and the very first in the state. The institution found its early roots in a former resort hotel near healing springs, later struggling due to the Civil War and Reconstruction. It revived in 1881 as the Cooper‑Limestone Institute, thanks to benefaction from industrialist Peter Cooper, and adopted the name Limestone College.

Literature: The Furniture of Charleston 1680-1820, Volume II: Neoclassical Furniture, Bradford L. Rauschenberg, John Bivins, Jr.; pages 528- 553.


Included with the Lot is a signed essay from Bradford L. Rauschenberg regarding this Secretary with Bookcase:

I had the pleasure of examining the Limestone College Secretary Bookcase at Leland Little Auction on August 9th, 2025. After thorough inspection, I am able to confirm this remarkable piece stands out as a fine period example of Charleston furniture dating from 1775 to early 1800, in the Germanic shop traditions of Martin Pfeninger (active 1770 -1782), Jacob Sass (1750-1836), Henry Hainsdorff (active 1773-d.1796), and Charles Desel (1749-1836).

Premier period examples by these master craftsmen working in Charleston are well documented by the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, with examples including the Holmes-Edwards library bookcase in the collection of the Charleston Museum’s Heyward-Washington House; The Jacob Sass Signed Desk and Bookcase (lowercase "signed desk and bookcase") at the Historic Charleston Foundation (previously in the Winterthur collection); The Howyfyl-Broadfield plantation desk at the Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation, Georgia State Parks and Historic Site, Brunswick, Georgia; among others. Photographs and research regarding these examples and other important Early furniture pieces from the Lowcountry area are available in the three volume set "The Furniture of Charleston, 1680–1820," co-authored by myself, Bradford L. Rauschenberg, and John Bivins, Jr.

The discovery of the Limestone University secretary with bookcase reveals another level of cabinetmaking from this German school. With the majority of furniture produced in Charleston being influenced by British design, the Germanic presence under the Pfeninger shop displays a high standard for Charleston production, this secretary with bookcase being an amazing survival of incredible Charleston Furniture. The serpentine two-part secretary is continually in motion with the bookcase shaping, remarkable serpentine doors, and their canted glazing. The wonderful broken arch pediment has a tympanum containing a large central floral inlay flanked by two smaller repeating oval floral inlays beneath two round paterae rosettes, and surrounded by linear edge inlays with dentil moldings. The secretary drawer presents an abundance of smaller interior drawers and eight valanced pigeon holes. The case drawers are with book-matched figured veneer and presenting inlaid quarterfans. Over the canted quarter columns are inlaid graduated bellflowers connected with stringing. Surmounting the shaped feet are paterae and opposing bellflowers. All of the aforementioned features combined with an imposing size of 103.75 inch high and 53.75 in. wide, convince me it is indeed Charleston and amounts to a grand show of the best of Charleston cabinetmaking.

As I wondered how it might have reached Limestone University, I remembered that I had seen the secretary when our MESDA field representative for Rowan County, Cathy Roe, visited Limestone University. She noticed the secretary, and subsequently she, Frank Horton, and I saw this very Secretary in January 1981. I remembered thinking that it was Charleston, but at that time we didn't record it. The Limestone contact Cathy talked to was R. Ebert, at that time identified to us as a "a College representative." Later research found that in 1940 a new building was named "Ebert". This same person who met Cathy was the one who knew the history of the secretary and indicated that it was from Charleston. I am assuming that the Secretary was a gift from the Ebert Family and, quite probably, through matrilineal descent.

Bradford L. Rauschenberg, Director of Research Emeritus, Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts

Pediment and cornice are original, now with some dentil molding loss and rear edge trimmed at dovetailed joint to the rear board; inlay loss at right pinwheel; inlay buckling to three oval inlays at frieze; the cornice with two later brace blocks attaching to top case; left and right vertical bookcase side panels have been trimmed at the rear edge and interior shelves later; missing lock to the right door; one glass pane cracked; left door upper right corner with veneer crack and buckle; the banded veneer border that surrounds the glass doors is uneven which suggests the mullions are later.
The desk: top applied molding for bookcase with small molding loss to front right corner; later pulls with plug holes; some drawer veneer facings with repair and minor patches at edges; top butler's drawer with cut, patch and repair at central lock; hinge area crack to the right hinge; missing four valances; drawer runners rebuilt and later drawer case guides; left and right rear case edge both with small cut, patch and repair at edge; feet are original but with minor repairs including: right front foot with crack and repair at the spur, top of the center corner with small wood chip; right rear foot facing with cut and repair at spur; left front foot facing with crack and repair to the left side facing of foot; left rear foot facing with crack and repair; interior foot corner brace block appears original but now cut to accommodate current later casters.