Work and writing table (table en chiffonière)

Work and writing table (table en chiffonière)

Bernard II van Risenburgh

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This diminutive, multipurpose table is similar in scale and style to another model by van Risenburgh in the museum’s collection (1977.102.7). The top is decorated in floral marquetry of veneered tulipwood and end-cut kingwood, and is hinged at the back and opens to reveal three compartments. A separate drawer on the right contains three metal receptacles for writing equipment. This table en chiffonière features an extra shelf framed in gilt bronze between the curving legs, a feature that adds stability and some extra space for storage.

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Work and writing table (table en chiffonière)Work and writing table (table en chiffonière)Work and writing table (table en chiffonière)Work and writing table (table en chiffonière)Work and writing table (table en chiffonière)

The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.