Desk on Chest

CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Desk on Chest
Datec. 1860–1890
Made inTexas, United States
MediumBlack walnut and basswood; southern yellow pine
Dimensions(Open): 50 × 41 5/8 × 41 3/4 in. (127 × 105.7 × 106 cm)
(Closed): 50 × 41 5/8 × 23 3/8 in. (127 × 105.7 × 59.4 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Miss Ima Hogg
Object numberB.62.48
Non exposé

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Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
Description

The columns flanking the drawers of the lower section of this desk give it a strong architectural character in keeping with the Late Classical style that was popular in the 1820s and 1830s. Texas German cabinetmakers continued to work in the style—now often called Biedermeier—long after its wider popularity waned. The slant front of the desk opens to reveal a central compartment surrounded by small drawers, each decorated with and outline of inlay.

Adapted from Lonn Taylor and David B. Warren. Texas Furniture: The Cabinetmakers and Their Work, 1840–1880. Vol. 1, rev. ed. Austin, Tex.: University of Texas Press, 2012.


Provenance[Cobweb Corners, Houston]; purchased by Miss Ima Hogg, October 12, 1962; given to MFAH.

Exhibition History"Texas Furniture," Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, Austin, July 13–October 6, 2013.

"Made in Texas: Art, Life and Culture: 1845–1900," Beeville Art Museum, Texas, September 20, 2014–January 10, 2015.

Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
[no inscriptions]
[no marks]

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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