“This beautiful card table embodies the elegant simplicity of early American Federal furniture. Its ingenious design allows it to transform from a demilune console to a functional playing surface, reflecting the social customs of its time.”
This elegant card table, crafted from rich mahogany, birch, and white pine, offers a glimpse into early 19th-century domestic life. Its design emphasizes both functionality and refined aesthetics, characteristic of Federal-era American furniture. The table's clean lines and subtle curves speak to a period taste for neoclassical simplicity, moving away from the more ornate styles of earlier centuries. When closed, it appears as a demilune console, a sophisticated furnishing for an entryway or against a wall. Its true purpose as a card table is revealed only when the hinged top is swiveled and opened, transforming it into a square playing surface. This clever design would have made it a prized possession, perfect for evening entertainment and social gatherings in a fashionable home.
- Artist
- William Hook
- Medium
- Mahogany, birch, and white pine
- Location
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Dimensions
- 73.5 × 92.4 × 45.4 cm (29 × 36 5/16 × 17 7/8 in.)
- Collection
- Arts of the Americas
- Culture
- Salem
- Credit line
- Purchased with funds provided by the Antiquarian Society through the Jessie Spalding Landon Fund
What to Notice
Five details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.
The rich, warm tones of the mahogany wood.
The subtle contrast between the mahogany and the lighter birch.
How the top swivels and unfolds to double its size.
The delicate, tapered legs ending in simple feet.
1 more detail is waiting.
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William Hook
1829William Hook, born in 1829, is associated with works like 'Alice' and 'A City Park' from the late 19th century.
Further Works by Hook
A City Park
1887 · Art Institute of Chicago
At Mouquin's
1905 · Art Institute of Chicago
Alice
1892 · Art Institute of Chicago
It's a New Age
1992 · Art Institute of Chicago
Women Fighting
1892 · Art Institute of Chicago
Garment Hook
Art Institute of Chicago
Large Hook for a Kettle (Jizaigake)
1875 · Art Institute of Chicago
Maine Landscape
1927 · Art Institute of Chicago