About the exhibition

Artists, Collectors, and the Ancient Mediterranean

Virtual Models

Mahogany card table with an ornatiely carved base.

Alternate view of Mahogany card table with an ornatiely carved base.

Alternate view of Mahogany card table with an ornatiely carved base.

Alternate view of Mahogany card table with an ornatiely carved base.

Alternate view of Mahogany card table with an ornatiely carved base.

Alternate view of Mahogany card table with an ornatiely carved base.

Alternate view of Mahogany card table with an ornatiely carved base.

Mahogany card table with an ornatiely carved base.

Alternate view of Mahogany card table with an ornatiely carved base.

Alternate view of Mahogany card table with an ornatiely carved base.

Alternate view of Mahogany card table with an ornatiely carved base.

Alternate view of Mahogany card table with an ornatiely carved base.

Alternate view of Mahogany card table with an ornatiely carved base.

Alternate view of Mahogany card table with an ornatiely carved base.

Card Table

ca. 1825Unidentified cabinetmakerBoston, Massachussetsmahogany, eastern white pine28 3/4 in. × 35 1/2 in. × 18 in. (73.06 cm. × 90.2 cm. × 45.7 cm.)

Bequest of Miss Edith J. Boardman

1936.11

In fashioning this card table in Federal Boston, the cabinetmaker combined several classical features in its design. A large central column in the shape of a pinecone supports the tabletop. Pinecones long symbolized fertility, enlightenment, and regeneration. Four splayed klismos legs end in scrolls with carved medallions. Lion paws, another Roman motif, decorate the feet with brass casters.

—Laura Fecych Sprague