Pier table. Rosewood, green marble, brass, ormolu, glass (mirror). Rectangular green marble top. Apron has two rectangular borders of brass stringing that flank central ormolu mount which features medallions, lyres, and other classical motifs. Far left and right corners of apron feature ormolu floral mounts tied by ormolu classical ribbons. Front cylindrical columns have ormolu bases and capitals. Plinth base lined by brass stringing. Rests on flattened ball feet. Made to fit into curved wall in Nathan Appleton's drawing room.
pier tables (side tables)
tables (support furniture)
rosewood (wood)
marble (rock)
Table, Pier
Used in Cherished Possessions 2003-2005: As one of the founders of the textile industry in Lowell, Massachusetts, Nathan Appleton accumulated wealth beyond dreams. Therefore, when he and his wife began work on a new house in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1817, they were able to commission the best available furnishings. This pier table was one such piece, made to fit between the windows in the bowed end of the family's formal parlor. Pier tables were a popular furniture form at the beginning of the nineteenth century. They often had large mirrors placed over them which multiplied the effect of the light coming in from the windows. The mirror below the table was similarly intended to reflect light-in effect to augment the glitter of the table's gilt-bronze mounts and moldings.
Vose, Coates & Co.
35 1/2 x 50 3/4 x 23 1/2 (HxWxD) (inches)
Gift of Edith Standen and Anthony Standen
1967.138
Massachusetts (United States)
Boston (Suffolk county, Massachusetts)
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