Decorative arts

Reading and writing stand

1 of 4

Type: Decorative arts(Opens in new tab)
Date: 1781
Accession number: 27.20
Makers: Edme-Francois Bouillat the elder(Opens in new tab) (French, 1758–1810); Martin Carlin(Opens in new tab) (French, 1734–1785); Michel-Barnabe Chauveaux(Opens in new tab) (French, 1753–1788); Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory(Opens in new tab) (French, born 1756); Jean-Baptiste-Emmanuel Vande pere(Opens in new tab) (1753–1779)
Dimensions: top lowered: 30 1/4 x 14 x 10 9/16 in. (76.8 x 35.6 x 26.8 cm.) top raised: 45 x 14 x 10 9/16 in. (114.3 x 35.6 x 26.8 cm.)
Medium: oak carcase veneered with tulipwood, curly sycamore, ebony, and boxwood; soft-paste porcelin plaques; gilt-bronze mounts; interior mechanics of brass, iron, and spring steel; modern silk fabric; silvered brass containers for quills and sand; glass inkwell
Description: The top of the table can be raised and lowered on four vertical ratchets; and, the porcelain-covered surface, hinged at the front, may be raised to form a book rest. The original octagonal inkwell and cork stopper are located within the reading stand. Two keys. See Wallace, 1100-1108; de Bellaigue, 530-535.
Credit: The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. The Arabella D. Huntington Memorial Art Collection.
Department: European Art
Find out more: View in the Art Museum catalog(Opens in new tab)

Label text

The jewel-like exterior of this petite reading stand masks its mechanical complexity and versatility. Beneath the flowered Sèvres porcelain plaques, the interior is fitted with a removable lap desk and an intricate mechanism for raising and rotating the tabletop. The reading surface itself, in the form of a large plaque, is released by pressing a button; it may be tilted to support reading material or sheet music. Small platforms that slide out from either side of the tabletop to hold candles.

Reading and writing stand

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