Desk and bookcase

Unknown

1765–90 · Mahogany, yellow pine, red cedar, white oak, tulip poplar · The American Wing

Among the most impressive forms of American furniture, the desk and bookcase was a symbol of its owner’s mercantile and intellectual achievements. On this example, a carved finial bust of a young woman, likely a literary figure, emerges from the broken-scroll pediment at the top.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1765–90

Medium

Mahogany, yellow pine, red cedar, white oak, tulip poplar

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

John Stewart Kennedy Fund, 1918