Aaron Van Dorn Queen Anne School-Master Desk

SOLD

Peapack, New Jersey, ca. 1790
Cherry, Pine secondary
Condition: Excellent condition, original lid hinges and retaining an old, if not original, finish.
Provenance: See full documentation on the underside of the lid. Made for Aaron Van Dorn.
This desk has a slant-lid opening to a fitted interior with a well above a pull-out slide supported by turned legs ending on ball feet. It is rare to find a piece of 18th century furniture made for a student. This desk was commissioned for Peter Aaron Van Dorn (1773-1837), by his father Aaron Van Dorn (1744-1830), for his use while he attended the College of New Jersey (now known as Princeton University) where he studied law and theology, ultimately graduating in 1795. Van Dorn found his way west to the territory of Mississippi as a young man in his twenties. There he became a Judge, played a prominent role in the establishment of public schools in Mississippi, and is credited as one of the founders of Jackson, Mississippi, for which he adopted the design plan suggested to him by Thomas Jefferson.