Tea table Newport, Rhode Island, 1765-1780 Mahogany Lent by Mr. and Mrs. Alfred F. Ritter, Jr. Adorned with a delicately molded top, stop-fluted legs, and pierced brackets, this tea table is an authentic early American form.

Tea table American, c. 1958 Mahogany Lent by the Chipstone Foundation 1958.9 This tea table has long been regarded as a fine example of mid-eighteenth century Newport, Rhode Island, craftsmanship. In fact, the piece is a complete fake, made only about fifty years ago.

Bureau table Attributed to Edmund Townsend, Newport, Rhode Island, 1765-1775 Mahogany, white pine, and chestnut Lent by the Chipstone Foundation 1955.5 Most of this bureau table is old, but the piece has been deceptively altered. The feet are only about fifty years old, and they have been distressed and carefully colored to look original—which, among other things, reduces the table’s market value by about 75%.