Tag Archives: Duncan Phyfe

Beneath the Grime: A Dazzling Center Table Revealed

Decorative arts specialist and BPMM Curatorial Committee Chair Carswell Rush Berlin writes about a center table in Bartow-Pell’s collection and discusses its classical origins, stencil decoration of American furniture in the 1820s and ‘30s, and the table’s recent conservation treatment. … Continue reading

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Multitasking Furniture: A Ladies’ Writing Fire Screen

Ladies, take your pick. Writing desks, worktables, dressing tables, and even a writing fire screen. All made just for you. Some pieces can even multitask. Starting in the 18th century, task-specific furniture—some made especially for women—appeared increasingly on the market. … Continue reading

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Fit for a Lord of the Manor: A Tester Bedstead Attributed to Duncan Phyfe

On November 29, 1955, Justine Bayard Erving—an unmarried descendent of the Van Rensselaer lords of the manor—died in a New York nursing home at the age of 73. The following year, a classical tester bedstead—later attributed to the influential cabinetmaker … Continue reading

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