Coffee Table, 1947
Wharton Esherick
(American, 1887–1970)
Pennsylvania
Ash
Lent by Gene and George Rochberg

Wharton Esherick pioneered the studio furniture movement in the mid-twentieth century. Like much of his work, this coffee table is a celebration of innovative design and complicated joinery. Each leg connects to the tabletop with three wedge-shaped tenons that are visible at the corners. The arched brace under the short side of the top
is beautifully sculpted, and adds visual interest rather than essential structural support.

Tea Table, 1765–75
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mahogany
Lent by the Chipstone Foundation 1999.1

Like Wharton Esherick’s coffee table to the left, this tea table has a powerful sculptural shape. Unlike Esherick’s table, which is the creative product of a craftsman working by himself in a studio, this tea table was made by a group of artisans who were closely following similar British examples. The deep, expressive carving of the legs and the lower half of the pillar is the most individualized aspect of the table, and demonstrates complete mastery of rococo ornament. Though neither the cabinetmaker nor the carver who made this table are known today, their work exemplifies the best of 1760s Philadelphia furniture