ticketsMember | Make a donation

Desk

1769
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 717
Inscribed: “This Desk was maid in the / year 1769 Buy Benjn Burnham, / that sarvfed his time in Felledlfey [Philadelphia]” this is the best documented and most ambitious of all Connecticut desks. Oddly enough, there is no apparent Philadelphia influence. Rather, the desk borrows motifs from Massachusetts (the inlaid compass stars and blocked front) and New York (the claw-and-ball feet in front and bracket feet in back).

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Desk
  • Maker: Benjamin Burnham (ca. 1729–1773)
  • Date: 1769
  • Geography: Made in Colchester, Connecticut, United States
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Cherry, white pine, yellow poplar
  • Dimensions: 49 3/4 x 44 1/2 x 24 1/2 in. (126.4 x 113 x 62.2 cm)
  • Credit Line: John Stewart Kennedy Fund, 1918
  • Object Number: 18.110.58
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Dressing table, Cherry, yellow poplar, birch, soft maple, red oak, ash, American
Dressing table
American
1710–30
Desk and bookcase, Mahogany, chestnut, white pine, yellow pine, yellow poplar, cedar; brass, American
Desk and bookcase
American
1760–90
Desk, Black walnut, ash, white pine, poplar, American
Desk
American
1700–1730
Cupboard, Oak, maple, yellow poplar, with oak and pine, American
Cupboard
American
1683
High chest of drawers, Sweet gum, yellow poplar, yellow pine, white oak, American or British
High chest of drawers
American or British
1695–1720

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.