HomeCollection
Back to objects
Writing table by William Vile
Artist
William Vile
Date
ca. 1761
Medium
Mahogany and oak; lacquered brass; green baize (modern)
Dimensions
Overall (confirmed): 32 3/4 × 50 3/4 × 32 1/2 in. (83.2 × 128.9 × 82.6 cm)
Culture
British
Classification
Woodwork-Furniture
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Gallery
521
Location
521
Credit
Purchase, Morris Loeb Bequest, by exchange, Bequest of Annie C. Kane, by exchange, Bequest of Mary Mandeville Johnston, from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Edward W. S. Johnston, by exchange, Gifts of Mrs. William C. Breed and Mr. and Mrs. Leslie R. Samuels, by exchange, The Helen and Carleton Macy Collection, Gift of Carleton Macy, by exchange, and Gift of Mrs. Paul Moore, by exchange, 2017

Description

Overview Writing table Attributed to William Vile British ca. 1761 Not on view With its unusual top, folding back to reveal a writing surface, this elegant table is attributed to the highly successful London furniture maker William Vile (1715–1767). The sparing use of carved ornament shows a great appreciation for the lustrous figured mahogany and the serpentine outline is the embodiment of the Rococo style stripped down to its very essence.