Card table
1810–15
Medium
Mahogany, mahogany veneer, white pine, yellow poplar, rosewood, brass, iron
Dimensions
29 5/8 × 36 × 18 1/2 in. (75.2 × 91.4 × 47 cm)
Classification
Card table
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Ronald S. Kane Bequest, in memory of Berry B. Tracy, 2018
Accession Number
2018.29.2
Art Historical Context
Step into the refined world of early 19th-century American with this exquisite card table crafted by Duncan Phyfe around 1810–15. Phyfe, a master cabinetmaker of Scottish origin who rose to prominence in New York City, was renowned for his neoclassical furniture that blended British Regency and French Empire influences. This piece exemplifies his signature style: graceful lines, restrained ornamentation, and superb craftsmanship, making it a hallmark of the Federal period's transition to more opulent Empire tastes. Fashioned primarily from rich mahogany with veneers, white pine, yellow poplar...
About the Artist
Duncan Phyfe · 1770–1854
Duncan Phyfe (1770–1854) was a Scottish-born American cabinetmaker who became the most celebrated furniture maker in the history of American decorative arts. Born Duncan Fife near Loch Fannich in the Scottish Highlands, he emigrated with his family to Albany, New York, around 1783–84, where he apprenticed to a cabinetmaker. By 1792 he had established his own workshop on Partition Street (later Ful...