Marble slab table

When this table entered the collection, in 1941, it was believed to be a magnificent example of Philadelphia rococo-style carving from the later-eighteenth century. In the 1970s, however, examination revealed that it is a fake, probably made more than a hundred years later. Scholars discovered that the most vulnerable areas of the table--the feet and the carved knees of the legs--show little or no damage or wear as would be expected on a piece more than two hundred years old. In addition, the rear rail was made out of old wood, possibly a floorboard, as evidenced by its rounded edge and color. In contrast, the rest of the table was made from new mahogany stained and artificially aged to match the old board.