Writing Desk
AssociatedAssociated with
Mary Garden
(Aberdeen, Scotland, 1874 - 1967)
CollectorCollected by
Betty Clunas
(Aberdeen, Scotland, 1929 - 2012)
Date1920-1950
Object NameDesk
Mediumwalnut and leather
ClassificationsFurniture
Dimensions77.5 × 56.5 × 85cm
AcquisitionBetty Clunas Gift, 2013.
LocationView by Appointment
Object numberABDMS082684
About MeThis is a small Queen Anne-style desk that once belonged to the operatic soprano, Mary Garden. Born in Aberdeen, she enjoyed a lengthy singing career in both France and America in the early 20th century.Aberdeen born, Betty Clunas (1929-2012) served as the Chair of the Friends of Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums. Charles and Betty Clunas purchased their first home at 28 Belgrave Terrace directly from the opera singer Mary Garden (1874-1967) in August 1960. The diva - then in her 80s - seems to have taken something of a shine to the young Betty, pressing on her a sculpted bust of an angel, with the words “Take this my dear, one day it will be very valuable.” The young married couple also purchased several pieces of furniture that Mary Garden had in her flat at that time including her desk. This brush with the glamorous world of international opera and Parisian high society of a bygone era, made a deep impression on Betty Clunas.
Taisho Period, c.1924
Qing Dynasty, mid - late 19th century
19th Century
Qing Dynasty, late 19th century
Qing Dynasty, 19th century
1920-1929
mid 17th-early 18th Century
early 13th-18th Century
mid 13th-mid 14th Century
See Also/See Also
