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Desk and bookcase

1765–90
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 722
Among the most impressive forms of American furniture, the desk and bookcase was a symbol of its owner’s mercantile and intellectual achievements. On this example, a carved finial bust of a young woman, likely a literary figure, emerges from the broken-scroll pediment at the top.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Desk and bookcase
  • Date: 1765–90
  • Geography: Made in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Mahogany, yellow pine, red cedar, white oak, tulip poplar
  • Dimensions: 96 5/8 x 40 1/2 x 24 3/4 in. (245.4 x 102.9 x 62.9 cm)
  • Credit Line: John Stewart Kennedy Fund, 1918
  • Object Number: 18.110.1
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

More Artwork

More Artwork
Side Chair, Benjamin Randolph American, Mahogany, northern white cedar; upholstery (modern), American
Side Chair
Attributed to Benjamin Randolph
Possibly carved by Hercules Courtenay
ca. 1769
Desk and bookcase, Mahogany, chestnut, white pine, yellow pine, yellow poplar, cedar; brass, American
Desk and bookcase
American
1760–90
Chandelier, Glass, Irish
Chandelier
Irish
1770–80
Teapot, Abraham Dubois American, Silver, American
Teapot
Abraham Dubois
1780–1800
Secretary and bookcase, Mahogany, mahogany and satinwood<br/>veneers with white and yellow pine,<br/>yellow poplar, cedar, American
Secretary and bookcase
American
1795–1805

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