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Work and writing table

ca. 1755–60
Not on view
This small work and writing table by Bernard II van Risenburgh is made of oak veneered with tulipwood and end-cut kingwood, and mounted with gilt bronze. The hinged top opens to reveal a partitioned recess divided into three sections. A separate drawer opens on the right side of the table, which contains a narrow compartment with a silvered metal inkwell, a trough for a sponge, and a box for sand to blot up excess ink. Although not nearly as ornate as the Asian-style lacquered corner cabinets produced by van Risenburgh in the museum’s collection (1983.185.2a, b), this piece demonstrates the persistent Rococo aesthetic found throughout the master cabinetmaker’s work, and his care in coordinating asymmetrical gilt-bronze mounts with the serpentine outline of the small table.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Work and writing table
  • Maker: Bernard II van Risenburgh (ca. 1696–ca. 1767)
  • Date: ca. 1755–60
  • Culture: French, Paris
  • Medium: Oak, tulipwood, root-cut kingwood, gilt bronze and silvered metal
  • Dimensions: 27 1/8 × 17 1/4 × 11 3/4 in. (68.9 × 43.8 × 29.8 cm)
  • Classification: Woodwork-Furniture
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 1977
  • Object Number: 1977.102.7
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Work and writing table (table en chiffonière), Bernard II van Risenburgh, Oak and beech veneered with tulipwood and purplewood; gilt bronze, blue moiré silk, French
Work and writing table (table en chiffonière)
Bernard II van Risenburgh
ca. 1760
Work and writing table (table en chiffonière), Bernard II van Risenburgh, Oak and pine veneered with tulipwood, kingwood, purplewood and satiné, gilt bronze, silvered metal, French
Work and writing table (table en chiffonière)
Bernard II van Risenburgh
ca. 1760
Rectangular table, Bernard II van Risenburgh, Tulipwood, purplewood and kingwood, gilt bronze, leather, brass, French, Paris
Rectangular table
Bernard II van Risenburgh
ca. 1765
Small rectangular table, Bernard II van Risenburgh, Oak and pine substrate; tulipwood, purplewood, brass and silk (not original), French, Paris
Small rectangular table
Bernard II van Risenburgh
ca. 1765
Writing table (bureau plat), Bernard II van Risenburgh, Veneered on oak with ebony; mounts of chased and gilded bronze; top inlaid with later panels of black morocco and gilt-tooled leather, French
Writing table (bureau plat)
Bernard II van Risenburgh
ca. 1745–50

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