Spotlight Talk: Up Close with Esherick's 1927 Drop Leaf Desk
We took a close look (and we mean a very close look) at Wharton Esherick’s 1927 Drop Leaf Desk. This January, our staff did a practice run of dismantling this iconic piece before sending it out for The Crafted World of Wharton Esherick exhibition at the Brandywine Museum of Art this fall. Taking a piece of furniture apart never fails to breathe new life into it and our understanding of its creation – and its maker. In our talk, we’ll explore our findings from this deep dive as well as the conservation and cleaning needed to prepare the desk to travel. We’re excited about what we learned and what stories this piece had to tell!
Esherick’s Drop Leaf Desk is one of the artist’s earliest pieces of large scale furniture, and one of the last that features intricate surface carvings. With this surface carving, the piece exhibits a fascinating link to Esherick’s practice of carving and printing woodblocks, and echoes its intended use by Esherick to store materials such as woodblocks, paper, and prints.
Learn more and attend our future virtual programs: https://whartonesherickmuseum.org/pro...