Center Table
Artist: Herter Brothers (American, 1864-1906)
Date: about 1865-1870
Dimensions:
30 x 48 in. (76.2 x 121.9 cm).
Medium: ebony, rosewood, sycamore, kingwood, tulipwood, amboina, mother-of-pearl, and lacquer
Classification: Furniture
Credit Line: Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Edward A. Kern
Object number: 1986.65
Label Text:This table would have been placed in the center of a drawing room, parlor, or library, making it a noticeable statement of its owner’s wealth and sophisticated taste. The industrial boom that followed the Civil War brought new opportunities for wealth. American designers often looked to the past for styles that expressed their patrons’ new prosperity. This tabletop—inlaid with expensive woods, mother-of-pearl, and lacquer—is reminiscent of furniture made in France or the Netherlands in the late 1600s. The rest of the table features classically inspired urns, masks, and winged lions from the Italian Renaissance. This synthesis of design motifs became known as the Renaissance Revival, a style popularized by the magnificent furniture and interior design of the Herter Brothers’ firm in New York
On view
In Collection(s)