Chippendale Carved Mahogany Five-Legged Card Table

Object Details

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Object Essay

In 1973, Morrison H. Heckscher of the Metropolitan Museum of Art published an in-depth study of the design and construction of New York card tables of this period, a type of furniture generally considered to be among the most successful of American designs. More than two dozen related examples are known, which Heckscher classified into various groups and subgroups on the basis of variations in design and construction. This table relates most closely to a group Heckscher terms “Type I” or the “Van Rensselaer type,” which refers to the illustrious New York Family. The Collection’s example shares several elements with Type I tables, which feature “a strong, powerful design.” The similarity includes the deep, serpentine skirt, the bold, projecting square corners, the presence of five legs, and the distinctive New York-style ball and claw feet. Although Heckscher suggests that all Type I tables were issued by the same shop, their carving tends to vary because of the employment of several specialists, and the carving here differs from other examples. The use of sycamore for the rear rail, instead of the more customary oak, further distinguishes this table.^{1_{Heckscher 1973, 974–83, discusses the form and lists numerous related examples.}}

This table provides an interesting comparison with another New York gaming table in the Collection (see Acc. No. 75.25), which could be included in Heckscher’s Type II grouping. The table under consideration in this entry is much heavier, probably due to the use of a denser mahogany and construction with solid, deep rails. The carving here, as on the knees of the legs, is much more symmetrical and lacks the C-scrolls found on Acc. No. 75.25. The carved rosettes and leaves against a stippled background along the front and side aprons represent a variation from the more frequently encountered gadrooning, although carved grapevines and other motifs were also used, and some examples were made without carved knees.^{2_{Sack Collection 6: P4806.}} This table lacks some of the optional elements found on Acc. 75.25: its top is not lined with baize; nor is it shaped with wells for counters and square corners for candlesticks; and the table never housed a secret drawer for cards and counters.

Gerald W. R. Ward

Excerpted from Clement E. Conger, et al. Treasures of State: Fine and Decorative Arts in the Diplomatic Reception Rooms of the U.S. Department of State. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1991.