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Desk

ca.1875
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 774
This desk embodies the Modern Gothic style prescribed by English and American design reformers beginning in the late 1860s. The firm of A. Kimbel & J. Cabus worked extensively in this mode throughout the 1870s, incorporating such Gothic elements as pointed gables, trestle feet, incised linear decoration, and elaborate strap hinges into a large stock of furniture displayed in their showrooms at 7 and 9 East Twentieth Street. No doubt much of their work was inspired by the design philosophy of Charles Locke Eastlake (1836–1906), who would have approved of the choice of oak, which he considered "by far the best wood to be used for both appearance and durability." Mounted on a trestle base with stiff, diagonal front legs and mortise-and-tenon construction, it bears medieval-style ornamentation of shallow incising, nickel-plated hardware, carved linen-fold panels, and chamfered edges. The projecting shelf opens to become the writing surface, which retains its original red baize and gold-stamped red leather trim, and the pitched roof above the projecting central cabinet lifts up to reveal a small storage space.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Desk
  • Maker: Kimbel and Cabus (American, New York, 1863–1882)
  • Date: ca.1875
  • Geography: Made in New York, New York, United States
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Oak, nickel-plated brass and iron hardware
  • Dimensions: 55 1/8 x 39 1/4 x 20 1/2 in. (140 x 99.7 x 52.1 cm)
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Barrie A. and Deedee Wigmore Foundation Gift, in honor of John Nally and Marco Polo Stufano, 2000
  • Object Number: 2000.58
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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Side Chair, Kimbel and Cabus American, Walnut, needlepointed textile, American
Side Chair
Kimbel and Cabus
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Hanging Key Cabinet, Kimbel and Cabus American, Oak, American
Hanging Key Cabinet
Kimbel and Cabus
ca. 1874
Returned to lender
Hanging cabinet
Kimbel and Cabus
ca. 1875–80
Chair, Kimbel and Cabus American, Ebonized wood, printed paper panels, gilding, later upholstery, American
Returned to lender
Chair
Kimbel and Cabus
ca. 1875–80
Étagère, Kimbel and Cabus American, Ebonized wood, gilding, ceramic tiles, brass, American
On loan to The Met
Étagère
Kimbel and Cabus
ca. 1875–80

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