ticketsMember | Make a donation

Desk-on-frame

1690–1720
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 712
An early inscription in Dutch inside the lid recording a business transaction points to a New York origin for this desk, which is reputed to have been found in Brooklyn in the early 1900s. The use of gumwood, a wood that found favor in New York City and environs for furniture and interior woodwork during the early decades of the eighteenth century, supports such an attribution. No comparable piece is known. The turnings appear to derive from French prototypes and the desk may have been made by a Huguenot craftsman—a distinct possibility in New York around 1700.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Desk-on-frame
  • Date: 1690–1720
  • Geography: Made in New York, New York, United States
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Sweet gum, possibly mahogany veneer, yellow poplar
  • Dimensions: 35 1/4 x 33 3/4 x 24 in. (89.5 x 85.7 x 61 cm)
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1944
  • Object Number: 44.47
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
High chest of drawers, Sweet gum, yellow poplar, yellow pine, white oak, American or British
High chest of drawers
American or British
1695–1720
Card table, Mahogany, mahogany veneer, birch, tulip poplar, American
Card table
American
ca. 1765
Kast, Painted yellow poplar, red oak, white pine, American
Kast
American
1690–1720
Spindle-back chair, Cherry, ash, American
Spindle-back chair
American
1680–1710
Kast, Painted white oak, red oak, American
Kast
American
1650–1700

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.