Desk and Bookcase, from Chippendale Drawings, Vol. II
Medium
Black ink, gray wash
Dimensions
sheet: 12 11/16 x 7 7/8 in. (32.2 x 20.1 cm)
Classification
Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1920
Accession Number
20.40.2(32)
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the elegant world of 18th British design with Thomas Chippendale's *Desk and Bookcase, from Chipale Drawings, Vol.* (1753). This precise drawing, executed in black ink and gray wash on a modest sheet measuring 12 11/16 x 7 7/8 inches, showcases a sophisticated furniture design blending functionality with ornate detail. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (acquired via the Rogers Fund in 1920), it exemplifies Chippendale's mastery as a leading cabinetmaker during the Georgian era. Chippendale's seminal publication, *The Gentleman and Cabinet-Make...
About the Artist
Thomas Chippendale · 1718–1779
Thomas Chippendale, baptized on June 5, 1718, in Otley, Yorkshire, was born into a family steeped in woodworking traditions, the only child of joiner John Chippendale and Mary Drake. His father likely provided his initial hands-on training in cabinetmaking, supplemented by time in the workshop of York joiner Richard Wood, before Chippendale relocated to London around 1749. He married Catherine Red...