The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Mechanical table

Mechanical table

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Mechanical table

Jean-François Oeben (1721–1763)

Maker:: and Roger Vandercruse called Lacroix (French, 1728–1799)
Date:: ca. 1761–63
Culture:: French
Medium:: Oak veneered with mahogany, kingwood, and tulipwood, with marquetry of mahogany, rosewood, holly, and various other woods; gilt-bronze mounts; imitation Japanese lacquer; replaced silk
Dimensions:: H. 27 1/2 in. (69.8 cm), W. 32 1/4 in. (81.9 cm), D. 18 3/8 in. (46.7 cm)
Classification:: Woodwork
Credit Line:: The Jack and Belle Linsky Collection, 1982
Accession Number:: 1982.60.61

This artwork is currently on display in Gallery 539

Description

Long recognized as one of Jean-François Oeben's masterpieces, this table (ca. 1761–63) was made for his frequent and most important client, Madame de Pompadour. The main charge of her coat of arms, a tower, appears at the top of the gilt-bronze mount at each corner. The marquetry of the top—one of the finest panels in all of Oeben's furniture—was designed to reflect her interests in the arts and depicts a vase of flowers as well as trophies emblematic of architecture, painting, music, and gardening. The table, completed after Oeben's death by his brother-in-law Roger Vandercruse, demonstrates Oeben's talents, not only as a creator of beautiful furniture but also as a mechanic: an elaborate mechanism allows the top to slide back at the same time as the larger drawer moves forward, thereby doubling the surface area.
Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Signature: [under rear rail]: JF OEBEN; [under left rail]: RVL[C] JME
Provenance

Possibly Mme de Pompadour ; Marquis of Tullibardine ; Mrs. Mary Gavin Baillie-Hamilton ; Lady Harvey ; [ Lewis and Simmons, Paris ] ; Judge Elbert H. Gary (until 1928; sale, American Art Association, New York, April 21, 1928, lot 271); [ Duveen Brothers , 1928 ] ; Martha Baird Rockefeller (until 1971; sale, Parke-Bernet Galleries, October 23, 1971, lot 711; sold to Jack Linsky); Jack and Belle Linsky , New York (1971–82; to MMA)
See also
Who
Roger Vandercruse called Lacroix (12)

Jean-François Oeben (1)
What
Metal (59,364)

Silk (32,922)

Copper alloy (16,630)

Bronze (11,628)

Gilt (9,043)

Wood (7,651)

Furniture (5,725)

Plate (2,675)

Woodwork (2,582)

Lacquer (1,745)

Ormolu (1,683)

Oak (1,089)

Mahogany (974)

Tables (974)

Rosewood (262)

Tulipwood (143)

Holly (62)

Violet wood (42)

Mechanical tables (4)
Where
Europe (148,586)

France (52,276)
When
A.D. 1600-1800 (66,179)
In the Museum
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts (43,257)
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
French Furniture in the Eighteenth Century: Case Furniture

The Golden Age of French Furniture in the Eighteenth Century

France, 1600–1800 A.D.
MetPublications
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