Card table

John Townsend American
ca. 1786
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 719
This deceptively plain table is one of the masterpieces of John Townsend's late oeuvre. It is fashioned from the densest of Cuban or San Domingo mahoganies and retains its original oiled finish. Both the visible stop-fluting and cross-hatching and the interior construction are executed with machinelike precision. The table descended in the Champlin family of Newport, together with a 1765 block-and-shell chest (27.57.1) and a 1789 block-and-shell tall clock (27.57.2).

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Card table
  • Maker: John Townsend (1732–1809)
  • Date: ca. 1786
  • Geography: Made in Newport, Rhode Island, United States
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Mahogany, maple, chestnut, tulip poplar
  • Dimensions: Closed: 27 1/4 x 33 7/8 x 16 7/8 in. (69.2 x 86 x 42.9 cm)
  • Credit Line: Egleston Fund, 1927
  • Object Number: 27.161
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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