Drop-leaf dining table

1756

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 717

John Townsend is the best-known and most accomplished of the great Newport cabinetmakers. Aware of his own exceptional talents, he made a habit of signing and dating, or labeling, his best works. This table, made when the craftsman was just twenty-four years old, is the earliest instance of such documentation. (It is signed and dated in pencil, in a bold and calligraphic hand, on the underside of the
top.) It is also the earliest datable example of the clawand-ball foot in Newport furniture.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: Drop-leaf dining table
Maker: John Townsend (1732–1809)
Date: 1756
Geography: Made in Newport, Rhode Island, United States
Culture: American
Medium: Mahogany, maple
Dimensions: Open: 28 3/4 x 62 1/4 x 58 1/4 in. (73 x 158.1 x 148 cm)
Closed: 28 3/4 x 17 1/2 x 58 1/4 in. (73 x 44.5 x 148 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Stuart Holzer and Marc Holzer, in memory of their parents, Ann and Philip Holzer, 2012
Object Number: 2012.442.1
Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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