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A rosewood portable desk with an inlaid mother-of-pearl border and diamond center motif on the …
Portable Desk
A rosewood portable desk with an inlaid mother-of-pearl border and diamond center motif on the …
A rosewood portable desk with an inlaid mother-of-pearl border and diamond center motif on the double hinged lid. The interior is lined in blue velvet.
Portable Desk, Unknown Maker, n. d., rosewood and mother-of-pearl, Telfair Museum of Art, Savannah, Georgia.

Portable Desk

Daten. d.
MediumRosewood and mother-of-pearl
Dimensions3 7/8 × 15 × 10 inches (9.8 × 38.1 × 25.4 cm)
Credit LineAttributed to the bequest of Mary Telfair.
Object number1875.36
On View
Not on view
CopyrightThe images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextThe lap desk came into being in the 17th century as a stylish accessory for travelling. It served as a writing surface, and a container for the quill, the blotter, and the sand tray. By the mid-19th century, the invention of cheaper and more efficient writing implements, and the mass production of furniture made most portable desks outmoded.
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