Pair of Card Tables

CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Pair of Card Tables
Datec. 1795–1810
Made inCharleston, South Carolina, United States
MediumWest Indian satinwood, East Indian satinwood, mahogany, ebony, dyed holly or boxwood; white pine, birch, mahogany
DimensionsEach closed: 29 1/2 × 36 1/4 × 16 5/8 in. (74.9 × 92.1 × 42.2 cm)
Each open: 29 1/2 × 36 1/4 × 33 1/8 in. (74.9 × 92.1 × 84.1 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, promised gift of a member of the W. H. Keenan Family with additional funds provided by the W. H. Keenan Family Endowment Fund
Object numberB.2004.1.1,.2
Non exposé

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Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
Description

With their round corner, elliptical front, these card tables define a contour more closely identified with the Charleston school. The arrangement of their geometric facades is consistent with the local idiom, yet these tables surpass all known Charleston examples.

Their extravagant use of satinwood, adeptly laid out in a radiating pattern, further distinguish this pair of tables. The use of satinwood is highly unusual in American furniture. Admired for its shimmering, figured surface and rich, golden patina, this wood was rarely employed due to its expense, being two to three times greater than mahogany. As such, fewer than two dozen examples of American neoclassical furniture are known which employ this exotic wood.

This pair of card tables was obviously commissioned for a prominent individual. They have descended in the same family to the present generation—the ninth to reside in the Low Country.


Provenance[George C. Williams, Charleston, South Carolina]; purchased by MFAH, 2004.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

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Painted and gilded mahogany, mahogany veneer, satinwood, soft maple, and holly; yellow-poplar, holly, beech, basswood, cherry, soft maple, eastern white pine, hemlock, mahogany, and ash
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c. 1867–1877
Cherry, boxwood, hairwood, amboyna, ebony, purpleheart, satinwood, mahogany, gilt brass, felt not original
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c. 1820–1830
Grained, painted, and gilded mahogany, and birch; mahogany veneer on eastern white pine with black walnut banding, ash, eastern white pine, cherry, and original brass casters
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Gaming Table
c. 1800–1810
Mahogany, satinwood
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Card Table
c. 1820–1825
Mahogany, mahogany veneer, rosewood, and ebony; yellow-poplar, cherry, eastern white pine, and brass
B.68.32
Card Table
c. 1785–1815
Mahogany and unidentied inlay; mahogany, eastern white pine, and birch
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Dressing Box
Thomas Natt
c. 1825–1835
Mahogany; eastern white pine, holly, yellow-poplar, brass, and mirror glass
B.94.8
scan from file photograph
c. 1750–1800
Mahogany; eastern white pine, birch, southern yellow pine, and hickory
B.76.163
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c. 1810–1825
Mahogany, ebony, and rosewood; ash, eastern white pine, and brass
B.69.72.2
Side Chair (one of a pair)
c. 1785–1799
Mahogany and ebony; eastern white pine, ash, and soft maple
B.61.92.1
scan from file photograph
c. 1785–1799
Mahogany and ebony; eastern white pine, ash, and soft maple
B.61.92.2