Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History



  • Drop-leaf Pembroke table, 1790–1800
    John Townsend (American, 1733–1809)
    Newport, Rhode Island
    Mahogany, satinwood, chestnut

    27 1/4 x 36 1/2 x 33 1/8 in. (69.2 x 92.7 x 84.1 cm)
    Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. Carl De La Cour, Jr., 1980 (1980.293)

    In the 1790s, John Townsend began making furniture—primarily Pembroke tables and card tables—in the new Neoclassical style. Tapered legs with inlaid lightwood veneers—usually bookends over carrots (as here) or bellflowers—replaced the stop-fluted straight legs found on his earlier pieces. Although the precise and elegant interior construction that is one of this cabinetmaker's signatures as a craftsman did not change, Townsend documented his authorship by pasting his label inside the drawer.

    Related

    Index Terms

    Art Movement/Style

    Artist

    Material and Technique

    Object

    Technical Glossary


    On view: Gallery 754
    MoveSeparatorPrint
    Close
    Drop-leaf Pembroke table, 1790–1800
    John Townsend (American, 1733–1809)
    Newport, Rhode Island
    Mahogany, satinwood, chestnut

    27 1/4 x 36 1/2 x 33 1/8 in. (69.2 x 92.7 x 84.1 cm)
    Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. Carl De La Cour, Jr., 1980 (1980.293)


    Move
    Close
    fullMultimediaText