Draw-top table

Unknown

1560–90, with later restorations · Walnut · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

In the sixteenth century, simple planks resting on trestles gave way to tables with sturdy, fixed supports of varying design. Following an architecturally inspired scheme that gained favor during the reign of Henri II (1547–59), this example has a rectangular top supported by leaf-carved balusters that form an arcade. Panels at either end feature personifications of seasons: Spring, with flowers, and Summer, with wheat.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1560–90, with later restorations

Medium

Walnut

Culture

French

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

The Friedsam Collection, Bequest of Michael Friedsam, 1931