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Sewing Desk

A work made of cherry, birch, ash and maple.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of cherry, birch, ash and maple.

Date:

1860–70

Artist:

Artist unknown (American, 19th century)
Canterbury or Enfield, New Hampshire

About this artwork

The Shakers, members of a Protestant sect who lived in celibate, agriculturally oriented communal cooperatives, are best known for their simple yet elegant furniture. By the mid-19th century, they gained a notable reputation for excellent craftsmanship, which enabled them to turn their cottage furniture industry into a major enterprise. The use of rectilinear lines, lack of ornamentation, and emphasis on function characterize simple and restrained Shaker furniture. This particular desk was intended to store sewing implements and provide a work surface for sewing endeavors. The replacement of the rear panel indicates that the desk may have been arranged back-to-back with an identical desk, a concept in keeping with the communal living and working environments central to the Shaker belief system.

Status

On View, Gallery 173

Department

Arts of the Americas

Artist

Shaker

Title

Sewing Desk

Place

New Hampshire (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

c. 1860–1870

Medium

Cherry, birch, ash and maple

Dimensions

106.7 × 80 × 68.9 cm (42 × 31 1/2 × 27 1/8 in.)

Credit Line

Purchased with funds provided by Mrs. James M. McMullan and Mrs. James D. Vail III through the Antiquarian Society

Reference Number

2003.8

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/180498/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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