Attributed to Isaac Vose & Son (American, active 1819–25)
Boston
Secrétaire à abattant
INV-1000
Attributed to Isaac Vose & Son (American, active 1819–25)
Boston1820–25
Secrétaire à abattant
Attributed to Isaac Vose & Son (American, active 1819–25) Boston →tablefurniture
Date
1820–25
Medium
Mahogany, mahogany veneer, white pine, and popular, with black marble, ormolu, and brass
Dimensions
145.4 × 13348.4 cm (57 1/4 × 52 3/8 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of the Antiquarian Society through the Lena Turnbull Gilbert Fund
This architecturally inspired secretary was originally owned by David Sears (1787–1871), a prominent merchant and landowner, whose house, designed by Alexander Parris (1780–1852), still stands at 42 Beacon Street, Boston, as the Somerset Club. An 1822 perspective drawing of the home shows a double-columned portico with composite capitals similar to those of the secrétaire, epitomizing the American interpretation of the late French Empire style. The simple form of the exterior highlights the luxuriousness of its materials and also belies a complicated interior of intricate drawers and shelves of various sizes.
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