Duncan Phyfe: Master Cabinetmaker in New York

Kenny, Peter M., Michael K. Brown, Frances F. Bretter, and Matthew A. Thurlow (2011)

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Watsonline WorldCat

Henry Allen Moe Prize for Catalogs of Distinction in the Arts (2012)

Publication Details

Description

Duncan Phyfe (1770–1854), known during his lifetime as the "United States Rage," to this day remains America's best-known cabinetmaker. Establishing his reputation as a purveyor of luxury by designing high-quality furniture for New York's moneyed elite, Phyfe would come to count among his clients some of the nation's wealthiest and most storied families.

This richly illustrated volume covers the full chronological sweep of the craftsman's distinguished career, from his earliest furniture—which bears the influence of his eighteenth-century British predecessors Thomas Sheraton and Thomas Hope—to his late simplified designs in the Grecian Plain. More than sixty works by Phyfe and his workshop are highlighted, including rarely seen pieces from private collections and several newly discovered documented works. Additionally, essays by leading scholars bring to light new information on Phyfe's life, his workshop production, and his roster of illustrious patrons. What unfolds is the story of Phyfe's remarkable transformation from a young immigrant craftsman to an accomplished master cabinetmaker and an American icon.

Table of contents

Director's Foreword
Lenders to the Exhibition
Acknowledgments

Introduction: American Icon
Michael K. Brown and Peter M. Kenny

1. Life of a Master Cabinetmaker
Michael K. Brown and Matthew A. Thurlow

2. Furniture from the Workshop of Duncan Phyfe
Peter M. Kenny and Michael K. Brown

3. Patrons of the Cabinet Warehouse
Frances F. Bretter

Plates

Appendix 1: Invoices and Accounts from Duncan Phyfe Relating to Furniture in This Volume

Appendix 2: Additional Documented Furniture

Bibliography
Index
Photograph Credits

About the authors

Peter M. Kenny is Ruth Bigelow Wriston Curator of American Decorative Arts and Administrator, The American Wing, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Michael K. Brown is Curator, Bayou Bend Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Frances F. Bretter, an independent scholar, was formerly Research Associate, The American Wing, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Matthew A. Thurlow formerly Research Associate, The American Wing, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, is on the staff of the Winterthur Museum.

Press reviews

Magazine Antiques

"... superb ... including rare bills of sale and keenly researched provenances ... this is a publication to delight the eye as well as the curious intellect."

Apollo

"... packed with solid scholarship ..."

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The United States and Canada, 1800–1900 A.D.

Exhibition

Duncan Phyfe: Master Cabinetmaker in New York

In the early 1800s, furniture from the workshop of New York City cabinetmaker Duncan Phyfe (1770–1854) was in such demand that he was referred to as the "United States Rage." This exhibition—the first retrospective on Phyfe in ninety years—re-introduces this artistic and influential master cabinetmaker to a contemporary audience.

The full chronological sweep of Phyfe's distinguished career is featured, including examples of his best–known furniture based on the English Regency designs of Thomas Sheraton, work from the middle and later stages of his career when he adopted the richer "archaeological" antique style of the 1820s, and a highly refined, plain Grecian style based on French Restauration prototypes. The exhibition brings together nearly one hundred works from private and public collections throughout the United States. Highlights of the exhibition include some never-before-seen documented masterpieces and furniture descended directly in the Phyfe family, as well as the cabinetmaker's own tool chest.

Organized chronologically, the exhibition presents the cabinetmaker's life and work through drawings, documents, personal possession, and furniture. Portraits of his clients and contemporary depictions of New York City street scenes and domestic interiors provide a glimpse into Phyfe's milieu.

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