Unknown American
Sofa Table

Sofa Table

Public Domain

Sofa Table
Maker
CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Sofa Table
Datec. 1815–1825
Made inNew York , New York, United States
MediumMahogany, mahogany veneer; eastern white pine, yellow poplar, cherry, and mahogany
DimensionsOpen: 28 3/4 × 55 1/8 × 27 7/8 in. (73 × 140 × 70.9 cm)
 Closed: 28 3/4 × 39 1/2 × 27 7/8 in. (73 × 100.3 × 70.8 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Miss Ima Hogg
Object numberB.71.106
Current Location
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Chillman Parlor
On view

Explore Further

Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
DescriptionMany of the new, specialized forms of furniture of the early 19th century were intended for ladies engaged in needlework, writing, and reading. The sofa table was, as the name suggests, intended for placement in front of a sofa and was often, as in this example, equipped with a drawer outfitted with an adjustable, felt-covered writing surface and compartments for the storage of writing materials. The most distinctive feature in this example is the pair of gilt-winged caryatid figures (standing female columns). Derived from Roman prototypes, caryatids were introduced as furniture and decorative motifs in early 19th-century France under Napoleon’s rule, and soon became popular with New York cabinetmakers such as Duncan Phyfe.

Provenance[Ginsburg & Levy, New York]; purchased by Miss Ima Hogg, January 10, 1972; given to MFAH, 1972.
Exhibition History"Power, Politics and Style: Art for the Presidents," at the Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, Maryland, September 24, 2000–January 7, 2001 (LN:2000.5).

"American Made: 250 Years of American Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston," The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, July 7, 2012–January 2, 2013.

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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scan from file photograph
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c. 1825–1835
Gilded mahogany and mahogany veneer; white oak, soft maple, ash, eastern white pine, and yellow-poplar
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c. 1815–1825
Mahogany and mahogany veneer; eastern white pine, mahogany, yellow-popolar, marble, mirror glass, brass, and gilt
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