Mangle-board
Unknown Artist
1776
Medium
Oak
Dimensions
30 3/4 × 4 3/4 in. (78.1 × 12.1 cm)
Classification
Woodwork-Furniture
Culture
Dutch
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1911
Accession Number
11.64.1
Art Historical Context
Step into the world of 18th-century Dutch domestic life with this oak *Mangle-board* from 1776, a finely crafted piece of functional woodwork now housed in the Metropolitan Museum Art's European Sculpture andative Arts collection. Measuring 30 3/4 × 4 3/4 inches, this sturdy board was an essential component of a mangle—a traditional laundry device used to smooth and press linens, clothing, and household textiles by rolling them between a wooden roller and the board itself. Crafted from durable oak, a favored hardwood in the Netherlands for its strength and workability, it exemplifies the blend...