Bier

Description

Designed to support small coffins, this bier was acquired with a history of having been made for use in Christ Church, Philadelphia, completed in 1744. According to church records, Christ Church's wineglass pulpit, reading desk, and font were made in 1770, the mahogany altar table in 1788. Vestryman and cabinetmaker Jonathan Gostelowe made an additional baptismal font and the communion table in the 1789. Perhaps this bier is also a product of his shop. Embellished with neoclassical design elements such as square-tapered legs with therm feet, it offers a comparison with other surviving biers such as an 1800-1825 example with turned legs and hand grips in the collection of the Central Moravian Church of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The end rails are tenoned to the square tapered legs with therm feet. The legs are lapped to the side rails; curved and tapered side rail extensions ending in volutes form the handles. Four sets of paired braces are tenoned to the side rails and secured with single pins.