{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O60668"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O60668/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AL5357/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AL5357/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2006AL5357","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006BC7757","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006AL8028","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006AL8027","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006AL8026","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006AL8025","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006AL8024","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2018KV7743","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2018KV7737","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2018KV7736","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2018KV7716","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2018KV7715","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2018KX0358","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O60668/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O60668","accessionNumber":"W.4:1 to 23-1956","objectType":"Writing table","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"<b>Object Type</b><br>Back-to-back writing tables became fashionable during the reign (1727-1760) of George II. Together they formed a large centre-table for a library.  The elaborate profile and mounts indicate that these tables were also a fashion statement. As such they could be used separately in bedrooms or dressing rooms for storing personal belongings as well as writing equipment.<br><br><b>Design & Designing</b><br>This table has a long well-fitted desk drawer with a writing slide which pulls forward on corner-truss supports. This concept was developed by Thomas Chippendale in 1760 and published in the third edition of <i>The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director</i> (1762) as plate 82. The elaborate curved front of the table is also close to a 1761 design for a cabinet published by Chippendale in 1762 as plate 122.<br><br><b>Place</b><br>A description of 'Two Library tables ... of the most elegant construction and exquisitie workmanship' sold at Fonthill Splendens in 1801 has been linked with the V&A table and its pair, which was sold at auction in New York in 2000. The huge Palladian mansion of Fonthill Splendens in Wiltshire was built for Alderman William Beckford (1709-1770), father of the wealthy collector William Beckford (1760-1844). The elder Beckford was also known for his extravagant taste, and is likely to have expressly commissioned such elaborate furniture as this writing table. (The younger Beckford was later to sell off some of Fonthill Splendens's contents - apparently including this table - prior to demolishing the house in 1807 and replacing it with the neo-Gothic Fonthill 'Abbey'.)","physicalDescription":"Commode. mahogany with padouk cross-banding, ormolu (gilt-brass) mouldings, mounts, and inlay.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Unknown","id":"A1848"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"mahogany","id":"AAT12221"},{"text":"bronze","id":"AAT10957"}],"techniques":[{"text":"gilding","id":"AAT53789"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Mahogany and padouk, inlaid with brass; gilt-bronze mounts","categories":[{"text":"British Galleries","id":"THES48985"},{"text":"Furniture","id":"THES48948"},{"text":"Woodwork","id":"THES48877"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"FWK","id":"THES48597"},"images":["2006AL5357","2006BC7757","2006AL8028","2006AL8027","2006AL8026","2006AL8025","2006AL8024","2018KV7743","2018KV7737","2018KV7736","2018KV7716","2018KV7715","2018KX0358"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"53A (VA)","id":"THES49763"},"free":"","case":"PL2","shelf":"","box":"62"},{"current":{"text":"53A (VA)","id":"THES49763"},"free":"","case":"PL2","shelf":"","box":"62"},{"current":{"text":"53A (VA)","id":"THES49763"},"free":"","case":"PL2","shelf":"","box":"62"},{"current":{"text":"53A (VA)","id":"THES49763"},"free":"","case":"PL2","shelf":"","box":"62"},{"current":{"text":"53A (VA)","id":"THES49763"},"free":"","case":"PL2","shelf":"","box":"62"},{"current":{"text":"53A (VA)","id":"THES49763"},"free":"","case":"PL2","shelf":"","box":"62"},{"current":{"text":"53A (VA)","id":"THES49763"},"free":"","case":"PL2","shelf":"","box":"62"},{"current":{"text":"53A (VA)","id":"THES49763"},"free":"","case":"PL2","shelf":"","box":"62"},{"current":{"text":"53A (VA)","id":"THES49763"},"free":"","case":"PL2","shelf":"","box":"62"},{"current":{"text":"53A (VA)","id":"THES49763"},"free":"","case":"PL2","shelf":"","box":"62"},{"current":{"text":"53A (VA)","id":"THES49763"},"free":"","case":"PL2","shelf":"","box":"62"},{"current":{"text":"53A (VA)","id":"THES49763"},"free":"","case":"PL2","shelf":"","box":"62"},{"current":{"text":"53A (VA)","id":"THES49763"},"free":"","case":"PL2","shelf":"","box":"62"},{"current":{"text":"53A (VA)","id":"THES49763"},"free":"","case":"PL2","shelf":"","box":"62"},{"current":{"text":"53A (VA)","id":"THES49763"},"free":"","case":"PL2","shelf":"","box":"62"},{"current":{"text":"53A (VA)","id":"THES49763"},"free":"","case":"PL2","shelf":"","box":"62"},{"current":{"text":"53A (VA)","id":"THES49763"},"free":"","case":"PL2","shelf":"","box":"62"},{"current":{"text":"53A (VA)","id":"THES49763"},"free":"","case":"PL2","shelf":"","box":"62"},{"current":{"text":"53A (VA)","id":"THES49763"},"free":"","case":"PL2","shelf":"","box":"62"},{"current":{"text":"53A (VA)","id":"THES49763"},"free":"","case":"PL2","shelf":"","box":"62"},{"current":{"text":"53A (VA)","id":"THES49763"},"free":"","case":"PL2","shelf":"","box":"62"},{"current":{"text":"53A (VA)","id":"THES49763"},"free":"","case":"PL2","shelf":"","box":"62"},{"current":{"text":"FWK3","id":"THES49462"},"free":"","case":"KEYS","shelf":"2","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Bureau","id":""}],[{"text":"Drawer","id":""}],[{"text":"Drawer","id":""}],[{"text":"Drawer","id":""}],[{"text":"Drawer","id":""}],[{"text":"Drawer","id":""}],[{"text":"Drawer","id":""}],[{"text":"Drawer","id":""}],[{"text":"Drawer","id":""}],[{"text":"Drawer","id":""}],[{"text":"Drawer","id":""}],[{"text":"Drawer","id":""}],[{"text":"Drawer","id":""}],[{"text":"Drawer","id":""}],[{"text":"Tray","id":""}],[{"text":"Compartment","id":""}],[{"text":"Drawer","id":""}],[{"text":"Drawer","id":""}],[{"text":"Drawer","id":""}],[{"text":"Drawer","id":""}],[{"text":"Pen tray","id":""}],[{"text":"Tray","id":""}],[{"text":"Keys","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"London","id":"x28980"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":"Probably"}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"ca.1750-ca.1755","earliest":"1745-01-01","latest":"1759-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Purchased with Art Fund support and assistance from H. Blairman and Sons","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"90","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"160.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Depth","value":"73","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"Dimensions checked: Registered Description; 18/01/1999 by MH","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"Possibly one of a pair from Fonthill Splendens, Wiltshire.\n\nIt’s not certain which country of origin the mahogany used in this object was sourced; however, over 90% of the mahogany imported into England between 1722 to 1763 came from Jamaica (Swietenia mahagoni) with most of the remainder sourced from the Bahamas. Mahogany was a plantation product; its extraction closely linked to the transatlantic slave trade and the expansion of the sugar trade and its plantations in the Caribbean. Felling mahogany was gruelling work, often carried out by enslaved male labourers. Large-scale logging was typically contracted to independent woodcutters who relied on enslaved labour gangs, occasionally supplemented by enslaved plantation workers (Anderson, Mahogany: The Costs of Luxury in Early America, 2012, p.71). A distinctive feature of mahogany was its rich red hue, which was so popular, that ready-made paints in ‘mahogany colour’ were sold as early as 1734 (Bowett, Woods in British Furniture-Making 1400-1900, p.123). Mahogany furniture appears frequently in bills, inventories, and advertisements from the early 1720s onward, reflecting its growing popularity and status.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Library Commode. mahogany with padouk cross-banding, ormolu (gilt-brass) mouldings, mounts, and inlay, England, ca. 1750-55","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"Baker, Malcolm, and Brenda Richardson (eds.), <i>A Grand Design: The Art of the Victoria and Albert Museum</i>, London: V&A Publications, 1999.","id":"AUTH348910"},"details":"","free":""},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Hayward, John, 'English Brass-Inlaid Furniture',  in <u>Victoria and Albert Museum Bulletin</u>, January 1965, vol. I, no. 1, pp.10-23, figs. 5 and 11."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Stürmer, Michael, 'Die Roentgen-Manufaktur in Neuwied', <u>Kunst und Antiquitäten</u>, vol. 79, October/November 1979, pp. 24-36, fig. 9."}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"masks (costume)","id":"AAT138758"},{"text":"acanthus","id":"AAT164902"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"BUREAU\r\nENGLISH; about 1740\r\nMahogany with gilt bronze mounts.\r\n\r\nThought to be one of a pair of desks made by John Channon, cabinet-maker of Exeter, for the window piers of the library at Powderham Castle , near Exeter. The dolphin was part of the Courtney coat-of-arms.\r\nThe top drawer, which extends acress the whole piece, is a writing drawer and is supported on the corner trusses when pulled out.\r\n\r\nPurchased with the aid of the National  Art-Collections Fund and a contribution from Messrs. H. Blairman and Sons.","date":{"text":"pre July 2001","earliest":null,"latest":"2001-06-30"}},{"text":"British Galleries:\r\nThe complex curving shape of this piece is closer to Continental than British designs. Its manufacture must have demanded extraordinary skill. The gilt-bronze mounts are unusually large and are of exceptional quality. They are cast as caryatids (female supporting figures) and naturalistic dolphins. The decoration on the handles is full of movement.","date":{"text":"27/03/2003","earliest":"2003-03-27","latest":"2003-03-27"}}],"partNumbers":["W.4:1-1956","W.4:2-1956","W.4:3-1956","W.4:4-1956","W.4:5-1956","W.4:6-1956","W.4:7-1956","W.4:8-1956","W.4:9-1956","W.4:10-1956","W.4:11-1956","W.4:12-1956","W.4:13-1956","W.4:14-1956","W.4:15-1956","W.4:16-1956","W.4:17-1956","W.4:18-1956","W.4:19-1956","W.4:20-1956","W.4:21-1956","W.4:22-1956","W.4:23-1956"],"accessionNumberNum":"4","accessionNumberPrefix":"W","accessionYear":1956,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE","Bureau","Drawer [1]","Drawer [2]","Drawer [3]","Drawer [4]","Drawer [5]","Drawer [6]","Drawer [7]","Drawer [8]","Drawer [9]","Drawer [10]","Drawer [11]","Drawer [12]","Drawer [13]","Tray [1]","Compartment","Drawer [14]","Drawer [15]","Drawer [16]","Drawer [17]","Pen tray","Tray [2]","Keys"],"assets":["2019LN2460","2019LP9486","2019LV7272"],"recordModificationDate":"2026-09-04","recordCreationDate":"2001-07-05","availableToBook":false}}