Bureau dressing table
Edmund Townsend
(American, 1736–1811)
1765–85
Object PlaceNewport, Rhode Island
Medium/TechniqueMahogany, red cedar, yellow-poplar, chestnut, pine
Dimensions85.41 x 87.63 x 47.94 cm (33 5/8 x 34 1/2 x 18 7/8 in.)
Credit LineThe M. and M. Karolik Collection of Eighteenth-Century American Arts
Accession number41.579
On View
On viewClassificationsFurniture
Collections
This impressive table is the only known labeled piece by Edmund Townsend, son of cabinetmaker Job Townsend and cousin of John Townsend. A respected citizen of Newport, Edmund Townsend was an accomplished furniture maker, and this table demonstrates his mastery of the block-and-shell motifs developed by members of the Townsend-Goddard family. More than thirty examples of this form, used primarily by women, are known today, attesting to their popularity at the time.
InscriptionsOriginal paper label on upper side of a drawer bottom: "Made by / Edmund Townsend / In / Newport Rhode Island"
In ink on paper label on bottom of top drawer: "E. W. Caveaux"ProvenancePurchased from W.M. Jacobs; Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Maxim Karolik for the "M. and M. Karolik Collection of 18th century American Arts"About 1755–70
1760–70
about 1870–80
about 1760–70
1760–70