Two 18th century bombe pieces are quite similar, although one bookcase is rococo and the other is neoclassical. Both were probably created in the same shop. Details of each piece are discussed and shown, including the ball-and-claw feet and writing surfaces.
The great American collector Henry Francis du Pont (1880-1969) acquired the desk-and-bookcase shown in Plate I in 1928. Then thought to have been made in Rhode island, it had previously belonged to the pioneer collector George S. ...