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Updyke Rhode Island Desk and Bookcase

83-844

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Headquarters

Kindel Grand Rapids
4047 Eastern Ave SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49508

High Point Showroom

200 Steele Building
Suite 103
High Point, NC 27260

Master Works

Updyke Rhode Island Desk and Bookcase 83-844

The original of this Mahogany desk and bookcase, made for the Updyke family in the 1770s, is one of ten block-fronted examples crafted by members of the Townsend and Goddard families of Kingston and Newport, Rhode Island. Block fronting, or the raised-recessed-raised triad of panels with the shell as an integral part of each, is considered to be uniquely American. The last one remaining in private hands was sold at Christie’s on June 3, 1989 for $12.1 million, a world record-breaking price. The hand carving represents 37 hours by meticulous Kindel artisans to achieve the beautiful and precise look of the original. Seventeen drawers and six compartments line the desk, and the ten separate sections in the bookcase are channeled to allow numerous subdivisions.

Wood Species: Mahogany
  • Width: 45.75" (116.205 cm)
  • Depth: 26.26" (66.7004 cm)
  • Height: 98" (248.92 cm)
  • Arm Height: 0" (0 cm)
  • 61 Bark 1 Bark
  • 32 Brighton 1 Brighton
  • 571 Sugarcane 1 Sugarcane
  • 25 Preservation 501 Caversham 1 Preservation
  • 19 Americana 1 Americana
  • 27 Winterthur 545 Aubergine 1 Winterthur
  • 742 Portofino 1 190718 140421 Portofino
  • 563 Heron 1 Heron
  • 64 Ebony Aged 1 Ebony
  • 557 Lava 1 190718 140602 Lava
  • 555 Brier Smoke 1 Brier Smoke
  • 740 Avellino 1 190718 140649 Avellino
  • 63 Dearborn 525 Sable 1 Dearborn
  • 62 Grosse Pointe 747 Umbria 1 Grosse Pointe
  • 401 Coastal 1 Coastal
  • 402 Petoskey 1 Petoskey
  • 403 Dune 1 Dune
  • 404 Obsidean 1 Obsidian

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38 006 12 Craft
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About the Collection

Master Works

Timeless and Bold.

Inspired by pieces of American and European antiquity, the Master Works Collection features complex shapes, intricate carvings, and opulent design finishes. With refined luxury and classic beauty, these pieces are handcrafted for those who believe spaces should express their own tastes rather than follow set rules.

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