Artwork
Side Table
Artist
Unknown
DepartmentAmerican Art
Datec. 1880
MediumPine
Dimensionsh. 29 × w. 33 3/4 × d. 22 1/4 in. (73.7 × 85.7 × 56.5 cm)
Credit LineSan Antonio Museum of Art, gift of Faith and Charles Bybee
Object number92.60.11
GeographyPlace madeSchulenberg, Texas, United States
DescriptionTop of the table is formed with planks of highly figured "curly pine." Sides are also of curly pine. Legs are curved in a simplified cabriole shape and taper to end in a modified hoof foot.Label TextDistinctive patterns in wood graining often are used by cabinet makers to make attractive pieces of furniture. This occurs most frequently in veneered furniture, but the maker of this curly pine table form Schulenburg used solid planks of boldly figured pine on the top and for the skirt. He created a unique piece of country furniture that was influenced by the prevailing Victorian taste for showy household fixtures.
As settlers flocked to Texas during its incarnations as a republic and then a state, the need for furniture grew along with the population. The cost of importing furniture from other parts of the United States or Europe was prohibitive; thus, 19th century Texans often designed and built to suit their own needs, relying especially on the influx of craftsmen from Germany. Although the forms of Texas furniture closely resemble case and seating furniture used elsewhere, they are made of woods native to the state such as pine and walnut, and are embellished with less expensive decorations, such as simpler porcelain pulls for drawers. The objects on view were once owned by Houstonian Faith L. Bybee, a passionate collector of American furniture and decorative arts who embraced the styles of her native state as well as examples of design from the Eastern Seaboard.
(Texas Gallery, 2018)Not on view
Collections
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
