East Tennessee or North Georgia, likely African American, walnut with yellow pine, single drawer with nailed construction, distinctive paint decoration with snakes, lizards, fish, geometric motifs, and initials “TB”, accompanied by pre-conservation photos of the table at the time of its discovery, in 1992; 29-1/2 x 26 x 17-3/4 in. 

Provenance: Purchased by Monty Young from Pat Walton in Georgia, 1992 (see images of the table at the time of its discovery, as well as the entry in Monty Young's account book); Carole Wahler bought the table from Monty Young the same year. Consignor notes suggest ownership by the Thomas Bragg family, and was referred to as their Bible table (genealogy records accompany the lot). The Art & Furniture of East Tennessee by Namuni H. Young, illustrates the table and indicates that it descended in a black family. The origin of the connection to the Bragg family of East Tennessee, as referenced in Mrs. Wahler's notes, is not known, but she presumably had good basis for it. Perhaps she was able to collect more provenance information from Pat Walton- the details of that history are not known; Collection of Carole Wahler, Knoxville, Tennessee

Note: In traditional African cultures, lizards and fish are rich with symbolism and meaning, sometimes alluding to spiritual or mystical references, fertility, rebirth, or the spirit world. The geometric motif on the center of the drawer recalls "Adinkra" symbols of the Akan people of Ghana and the Ivory Coast. In that context, these symbols convey specific meanings, and were used in a number of different ways, and sometimes carved on stools for domestic or ritual use. 

The authenticity of the paint is confirmed by the pre-conservation photos of the table. Apparently this table was the design source for several spurious tables that were fabricated after the publication of this example.