Antique Oak Stick and Ball Bentwood Wall Shelf in original finish, Patent 1892 stamped into brass on shelf support. Measures 25 1/2″ length, 6 1/2″ depth and 13 1/2″ height.
The Ferguson Brothers from New York City specialized in what they called Novelty Furniture. This included clocks, clock shelves (like this), pedestals, and fretwork grilles. This work features several patents by James W. Campbell from Germantown, NY. Although the curved pieces appear, at first, to be bent they have been cut out of flat boards and then shaped to look like a bent tube. I call these donut or steering wheel shaped pieces Toroidal because the mathematical name for this general shape from bagels to hula hoops is a Torus. This shelf is extra fancy for the Ferguson Brothers in that features some turned work on the front verticals. taken from “Moorish Fretwork”
