Tilt-top table

David Roentgen

ca. 1785–90 · Mahogany; gilt bronze and brass · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

The circular top of this small table, or gueridon, has a pierced wood gallery with brass banding. It is supported by a fluted block above a pillar in the form of a stylized Ionic column with brass moldings. The top can be both turned horizontally and tipped up, and gilt-brass casters under the feet make the whole piece easy to move. The gallery is not only decorative, but it would also have prevented objects from sliding off the edge. The revolving top made it possible for a host to serve tea to a small company of guests in privacy, without the presence of servants. All the elements of this table, but especially the pierced gallery, which is not executed in gilded metal in the French manner but skillfully crafted from wood, distinguish it from every other contemporary table invention.

Artist

David Roentgen

Date

ca. 1785–90

Medium

Mahogany; gilt bronze and brass

Culture

German, Neuwied am Rhein

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of the Estate of Ruth S. Stanton, in honor of Alexandra Stanton, 2018