Tabletop: full view |
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Object Description
| Brief description | Marquetry tabletop associated with the Dennerlein family, Sheboyan, late nineteenth or early twentieth century. |
| Object name | Table |
| Alternate object name | Tabletop |
| Date | 1880-1930 |
| Dimensions | 41 3/4"L x 31 1/4"W x 2 1/4"H |
| Materials and techniques | Various woods |
| Original location | Sheboygan, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin |
| Current location | Sheboygan, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin |
| Description | The intricate geometric patterns of this tabletop, made up of small pieces of veneer, include a checkerboard at the center with two five-pointed stars on either side. The center rectangle is surrounded by multiple bands of contrasting light and dark woods. The narrow bands of dark and light checks would have been made by gluing together small sticks of wood, then slicing them across the grain into veneers. The use of light and dark diamonds in the border creates the illusion of three-dimensional blocks. The tabletop is edged in solid wood inlaid with small circles to create a polka dot effect. |
| History |
The tabletop descended in the Dennerlein family of Sheboygan, Wisconsin. According to family history, this tabletop was made by an unnamed transient man who lived with and worked for Lenard (also spelled Leonard and Lenhart) Dennerlein and his family. Interestingly, Lenard Dennerlein's son Arthur married Selma Machut, the daughter of Charles Machut, who was another woodworker and marquetry artisan living in the Sheboygan area at the turn of the century. A history of the tabletop on file at the Sheboygan County Historical Society reads: "Back at the turn of the century there were men that roamed the country side. During the summer and winter they would stay with a family in the country and work for their room and board. Such a man did this with the Lenard Dennerlein family. We do not know his name or where he came from or where he went when he wasn't with them. He stayed at the Dennerleins for two winters. He would go off into the Sheboygan marsh to collect wood samples to make what is known as "Hobo" art. This is the product of his work." Marquetry of the type found on this table has been described as "male quilting" because this woodworking technique, typically undertaken by men, shares many similarities with women's quiltmaking--the use of repeated patterns and the technique of assembling small pieces of material into a larger whole. |
| Sources | For more on marquetry, see Richard Muhlberger, American Folk Marquetry: Masterpieces in Wood (Museum of American Folk Art, 1998). |
| Related objects | Examples of Charles Machut's work in the collections of the Sheboygan County Historical Society include a baptismal font (object # 1142) and a mirror frame (object # 1142.1): http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/u?/wda,257 and http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/u?/wda,411 |
| Owner | Sheboygan County Historical Society |
| Object # | 3312 |
| Rights | (c) 2006 by the Sheboygan County Historical Society. Contact the owner for more information. http://www.co.sheboygan.wi.us/html/d_museum.html |
| Digital collection | Wisconsin Decorative Arts Database |
| Digital identifier | SC006 |
| Digital format | XML |
| Type | Physical object |
| Keywords | Furniture; Table (support furniture); Furnishings (artifacts); Furnishings and equipment |
| Date digitized | 2007-04-12 |
| Date modified | 2010-10-01 |
Description
| Object name | Tabletop: full view |
| Object # | 3312 |
| Rights | (c) 2006 by the Sheboygan County Historical Society. Contact the owner for more information. http://www.co.sheboygan.wi.us/html/d_museum.html |
| Digital collection | Wisconsin Decorative Arts Database |
| Digital identifier | SC006a |
| Digital format | JPG |
| Type | Physical object |
| Date digitized | 2007-04-12 |
| Date modified | 2007-04-12 |
