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Writing table

Attributed to William Vile British
ca. 1761
Not on view
With its unusual top, folding back to reveal a writing surface, this elegant table is attributed to the highly successful London furniture maker William Vile (1715–1767). The sparing use of carved ornament shows a great appreciation for the lustrous figured mahogany and the serpentine outline is the embodiment of the Rococo style stripped down to its very essence.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Writing table
  • Maker: Attributed to William Vile (British, Somerset 1715–1767 London)
  • Date: ca. 1761
  • Culture: British
  • Medium: Mahogany and oak; lacquered brass; green baize (modern)
  • Dimensions: Overall (confirmed): 32 3/4 × 50 3/4 × 32 1/2 in. (83.2 × 128.9 × 82.6 cm)
  • Classification: Woodwork-Furniture
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Morris Loeb Bequest, by exchange, Bequest of Annie C. Kane, by exchange, Bequest of Mary Mandeville Johnston, from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Edward W. S. Johnston, by exchange, Gifts of Mrs. William C. Breed and Mr. and Mrs. Leslie R. Samuels, by exchange, The Helen and Carleton Macy Collection, Gift of Carleton Macy, by exchange, and Gift of Mrs. Paul Moore, by exchange, 2017
  • Object Number: 2017.665
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

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Medal cabinet, William Vile British, Mahogany with carved and applied decoration, British
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Clothes press, William Vile British, Mahogany veneer on oak, British
Clothes press
William Vile
ca. 1760
Library table, William Vile British, Cuban mahogany, veneered on oak, British
Library table
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ca. 1760
Chest of drawers, William Vile British, Pine veneered with mahogany; gilt bronze, British
Chest of drawers
William Vile
John Cobb
ca. 1750
Commode, William Vile British, Pine veneered with mahogany; gilt bronze, British
Commode
William Vile
John Cobb
ca. 1760

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