Small writing table

Antoine-Mathieu Criaerd

ca. 1755–60 · Oak veneered with tulipwood and amaranth, gilt bronze, leather · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Small convenient tables provided with a writing slide and a drawer for writing implements were found in nearly every room of the mid eighteenth-century home. This elegant piece by Criaerd is entirely framed by gilt-bronze moldings and has kept its gilt-bronze receptacles for ink and sand needed for letter writing. Books or papers could be placed on the shelf underneath as can be seen on a related table in the well-known portrait of Madame de Pompadour by François Boucher of 1756 (Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlung, Munich).

Artist

Antoine-Mathieu Criaerd

Date

ca. 1755–60

Medium

Oak veneered with tulipwood and amaranth, gilt bronze, leather

Culture

French, Paris

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

The Lesley and Emma Sheafer Collection, Bequest of Emma A. Sheafer, 1973