English (Georgian) Hepplewhite Secretary with 4 Drawers. Original (not a marriage), made of mahogany, and dates from the turn of the 19th Century. 

Condition: Small chip on bottom trim in front. Small bubbles on glass of right door. Scratches on top. 

Provenance: Repairs by Andy Golden, Golden & Associates Antiques of Distinction in Charleston, South Carolina. (See image) 

Size: 43 1/4 x 21 1/2 x 85 1/2 in. 
#5000 . 

George Hepplewhite (1727? - June 21st, 1786) was a cabinetmaker, regarded as having been one of the “Big Three” English furniture makers of the 18th century, along with Thomas Sheraton and Thomas Chippendale. There are no known surviving pieces of furniture made by Hepplewhite or his firm, but he gave his name to a distinctive style of light, elegant furniture that was fashionable between about 1775 and 1800, and reproductions of his designs continued through the following centuries. Very little is known about Hepplewhite himself. Some established sources list no birth information; however a “George Hepplewhite” was born in 1727 in Ryton, County Durham, England. According to some sources he served his apprenticeship with Gillows in Lancaster, and was a member of the London Society of Cabinet Makers, where he opened his shop. After he died in 1786 the business was continued by his widow, Alice. In 1788 she published a book with about 300 of his designs, The Cabinet Maker and Upholsterers Guide, with two further editions published in 1789 and 1790, and these are credited with the recognition his work began to receive decades afterwards. Hepplewhite produced easily recognizable designs that were slender, curvilinear in shape, and well balanced. Considered neoclassic, they were characterized by a delicate appearance, tapered legs, and the use of contrasting veneers and inlay. Rather than through carving the design would receive ornamentation from paint used on the piece. The works of the mid 19th Century cabinet makers influenced by the Hepplewhite guides in turn led to revivals throughout the 20th Century, making it a popular style even today.

Small chip on bottom trim in front. Small bubbles on glass of right door. Scratches on top.