Exhibits & Collections

When Whitehorne House opens for the 2010 season, it will have two new pieces of furniture on exhibit. Selected by Executive Director Pieter Roos and Director of Collections Bruce MacLeish at auction this winter, the pieces expand the large collection of 18th century Newport and Rhode Island furniture on display at Whitehorne House.

A wonderful historical document as well as a rare piece by a master cabinetmaker, the newly acquired inscribed slant-front desk by John Townsend creates an excellent contrast to another Townsend desk in the museum's collection. The new acquisition has the initials IT carved on the underside of the bottom board, in the manner of another inscribed Townsend piece. The original brasses are stamped with the name I Gold. The desk was made about 1765, and has clearly been used constantly since then, displaying signs of wear and repair in several areas. The museum will use the desk to illustrate a customer piece as made by the master, contrasting with a slightly altered and larger desk of Townsend's own, shown nearby.

The second piece is a Queen Anne turned mahogany writing table, a modest yet unique piece that has been owned by several collectors. The table sits on a tripod base with a turned column; a rectangular box containing a drawer supports the table top, which is hinged on one side. The table top can be used either flat or raised at an angle for writing or drawing. There are four original wrought iron supports stretching upward from the column. The table has long been thought by scholars to be a Rhode Island piece, circa 1740-60, and additional recent information reinforces that attribution.

Read the full news release.
Schedule and tickets for Whitehorne House.