Card Table

Artist John Townsend (American, 1733 - 1809)

Date1794

MediumMahogany, chestnut, satinwood, maple, and birch

DimensionsOverall: 28 1/8 × 33 15/16 × 16 3/8 inches (71.44 × 86.2 × 41.59 cm)

Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust

Object number33-524

On View

On view

Gallery Location

Collections

Architecture, Design and Decorative Arts

Terms

DescriptionTable has serpentine front rails and half-serpentine side rails. An inlaid patera is centered on the front rail while inlaid ruffles decorate the tops of the legs. The tapering legs also have inlaid stringing and cuffs as well as inlaid, icicle-like pendants. A single drawer occupies one of the side rails on each table.Gallery Label

Gallery Label

This card table is from a set of four made for Colonel John Cooke of Newport, the birthplace of John Townsend, a renowned Rhode Island cabinetmaker. The table's serpentine sides with drawers indicate that these were custom made, requiring Townsend to fashion the components individually, rather than using stock patterns. The table fronts are ornamented with oval paterae, linenfold motifs and "icicle" designs of inlaid satinwood, a costly embellishment. Tables such as these were used for a variety of activities, including card playing. When in use, the tops were unfolded and supported by the back legs, which swing open; otherwise, the tables were placed against the wall with their tops folded down.

Provenance

With Colonel John Cooke (1744–1812), Middletown, Rhode Island;

Inherited by Rhoda Cooke;

Inherited by William Cooke Gray;

Inherited by George Wanton Gray;

Inherited by Thomas T. Gray;

Inherited by Phoebe McCorrie Gray Durfee;

Purchased by Philip Flayderman, Boston, Massachusetts;

Purchased at his sale, American Art Association, Anderson Galleries, Inc., New York, January 2-4, 1930, lot 470, by Israel Sack, Inc., Boston, and New York, 1930 [1];

Purchased from Israel Sack, Inc. by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Fine, Kansas City, Missouri, 1933.

NOTES:

[1] This piece was offered for sale by Israel Sack, Inc. at American Art Association, Anderson Galleries, Inc., New York, January 2-4, 1930, lot 470, but failed to sell.

Published References

Colonial Furniture, Silver, and Decorations: The Collection of the Late Philip Flayderman (New York: Anderson Galleries and American Art Association, January 2-4, 1930), lot 470 or 471 (repro.).

"Israel Sack, Inc., advertisement," Antiquarian 17, no.2 (August 1931): 2 (repro.).

One Hundred Important American Antiques (New York: Anderson Galleries and American Art Association, January 9, 1932), 52–53.

Ralph E. Carpenter, Jr., The Arts and Crafts of Newport, Rhode Island, 1640–1820 (Newport, R.I.: Preservation Society of Newport County, 1954), 97, (repro.).

Michael Moses and Liza Moses, "Authenticating John Townsend's Later Tables," Antiques 119, no. 5 (May 1981): 1153, (repro.).

Michael Moses, Master Craftsmen of Newport: The Townsends and Goddards, (Tenafly, N.J.: MMI Americana Press, 1984), 81, (repro.).

Oswaldo Rodriguez Roque, American Furniture at Chipstone (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1984), 328-329.

Important American Furniture, Silver, Folk Art, and Decorative Arts (Christie's, New York, June 16, 1999), 146, (repro.).

Morrison H. Heckscher, John Townsend: Newport Cabinetmaker, exh. cat. (New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2005), 162–63, (repro.).

Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information, is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete. Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image, please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.