Oblong Table
Unknown Artist
late 19th or early 20th century
Medium
Walnut, turned.
Dimensions
Height: 29 1/4 in. (74.3 cm) Width: 45 1/2 in. (115.6 cm) Length: 72 1/2 in. (184.1 cm)
Classification
Woodwork-Furniture
Culture
Italian
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.1953
Art Historical Context
This oblong table, fashioned from walnut in Italy during the late 19th or early 20th century, represents the refined tradition of Italian woodwork furniture. Its substantial dimensions—roughly six feet in length—suggest it served as a central piece in a dining room or salon, where practicality met understated elegance. The “turned” technique, in which skilled artisans shaped the wood on a lathe, allowed for smooth, symmetrical forms that highlight the natural grain and rich tone of walnut. As part of the Robert Lehman Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the table offers visitors ins...