What is old is new again!

In our earlier blog "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" we discussed furniture makers who, during the time of the Shakers, made and sold shaker style furniture. This was not a philosophical problem for the Shakers since they were open people happy to share their ideas with the world as also discussed in an earlier blog "Sharing is caring", However, we have noted that the Shakers were also shrewd business people and to the extent this "copying" impacted their sales they were not pleased. The practice of copying Shaker style exists to this day, but since the Shakers are not longer producing and selling their crafts to the world, this contemporary copying exists as more an ode to the Shakers than live competition. One such contemporary furniture maker is Thos. Moser. Tom Moser left his job as a college professor in 1972 "to restore the lost art of fine woodworking." What started as a one man shop grew to nearly 70 craftsman. Each of his pieces are handmade, signed and numbered. While this furniture maker produces furniture of various styles, Shaker design is one of its main influences. The pictured Thos. Moser Shaker Round Stand is one of my favorite pieces. It utilizes mortise and tenon joinery, legs inspired by "spider leg" shaker candle stands and a shaft which tapers dramatically with very little adornment save for a small increase in diameter near the top. All of these are quintessential Shaker. The piece is signed, dated and numbered "Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers, Auburn, Maine, 2016, Robert Mathieu, 827069". It retails for $1,100.00 on the Thos. Moser website. We were lucky to pick one up at a local auction! Check it out in our Collection.