Neo-Classical Card Table with Lyre Base, about 1815
Attributed to Thomas Seymour (1771–1848), Boston (active 1804–17)
Rosewood (secondary woods: chestnut, mahogany, and poplar), with brass inlay, and gilt-brass paw toe caps and castors, and cast and die-stamped mounts
29 1/2 in. high, 36 in. wide, 17 5/8 in. deep; open: 36 x 35 1/4 in.
This table is an outstanding example of American design and craftsmanship from the early years of the nineteenth century. Card tables with lyre bases were made in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and certainly elsewhere during the period of the Classical Revival in the United States. Among the most elaborate of these is this Boston example, made of rosewood, which incorporates a whole range of decorative devices that place it with the most sophisticated pieces of American furniture in this style.