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Butler's Desk and Etagére, New York, Possibly Duncan Phyfe
About the Item
Butler’s Desk and Etagére, circa 1825
New York, possibly by Duncan Phyfe
Mahogany (secondary woods: mahogany, pine, poplar), with ormolu mounts, marble, and brass
54 in. high, 36 5/8 in. wide, 23 5/8 in. deep
EX. COLL.: Buffalo, New York, collection, and by descent, until 2016
Certain standard furniture forms, such as center tables, secrétaries á abattants, klismos chairs, work tables, center tables, and so forth, dominated the production of the leading American cabinetmaking shops during the Neo-Classical period, but other less usual forms were also produced, often likely on special order.
The present butler’s desk is one of those pieces, as the exact form does not seem to have previously appeared. Above the cupboard doors below is what, from the outside, appears to be a long drawer, but the front actually pulls down to form a baize-lined writing surface, with cubbyholes behind. Above the lowest of the three marble surfaces is a pair of doors revealing a storage cabinet presumably for miscellaneous household papers. Another related piece is a small sideboard that was included in the Duncan Phyfe exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, in 2011–12 (see Peter M. Kenny, Michael K. Brown, Frances F. Bretter, and Matthew A. Thurlow, Duncan Phyfe: Master Cabinetmaker in New York, exhib. cat. [New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011], pp. 270–71 plate 67).
Although the form of the piece is unusual in the context of American production, it does find precedent among English Regency designs, which are also echoed in a Boston étagère in a New York collection (see Stuart P. Feld, Boston in the Age of Neo-Classicism, 1810–1840, exhib. cat. [New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 1999], p. 50 no. 16 illus.). But whereas the maker of the Boston piece looked to English sources for the detailing of his piece, the present piece is a blend of English Regency and French Empire design, the ormolu capitals and bases in two sizes likely being a French import.
Although the outstanding quality of this piece would suggest an attribution to the distinguished shop of Duncan Phyfe, his style became so popular among his contemporaries that it is difficult to assign the work to him without some form of documentation.
Condition: Excellent. The baize surface on the desk has probably been replaced. Cleaned and French polished.
- Attributed to:Duncan Phyfe (Cabinetmaker)
- Dimensions:Height: 54 in (137.16 cm)Width: 36.63 in (93.05 cm)Depth: 23.63 in (60.03 cm)
- Style:Neoclassical (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1825
- Condition:Replacements made. Wear consistent with age and use. CONDITION: Excellent. The baize surface on the desk has probably been replaced. Cleaned and French polished. This piece has been vetted by the Winter Antiques Show vetting committee as described in this listing.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:
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