Cylinder Desk and Bookcase
Duncan Phyfe
1815–20 · Mahogany, mahogany veneer, satinwood, gilded gesso with yellow poplar, white pine · The American Wing
The exacting craftsmanship, rarely seen roll-top mechanism, and first-quality woods indicate that this bookcase was certainly made by one of the finest furniture establishments in the United States. One particular feature—the spiral-fluted ellipsoids above the tapered legs—relates this cylinder desk and bookcase to a labeled Duncan Phyfe work table in the Winterthur Museum collection. The writing board is mechanically activated and moves forward as the roll-top, or cylinder, front is lifted.
- Artist
- Duncan Phyfe
- Date
- 1815–20
- Medium
- Mahogany, mahogany veneer, satinwood, gilded gesso with yellow poplar, white pine
- Culture
- American
- Department
- The American Wing
- Credit line
- Purchase, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Gift, in memory of Berry B. Tracy, 1985
