Center Table
- Artist
- marquetry signed by Joseph Cremer, born Luxembourg, active Paris, (1811–after 1878)
- Date
- 1865–75
- Material
- Ebonized and gilded wood, wood marquetry, mother-of-pearl, and gilded bronze
- Made in
- New York, New York, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Furniture
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 127
- Dimensions
- 30 1/4 × 54 1/8 × 35 1/2 in. (76.8 × 137.5 × 90.2 cm)
- Credit Line
- Marjorie Wyman Endowment Fund
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 32:2016
NOTES
A lush bouquet of flowers is the focal point of this ornamental tabletop. The floral design is composed of small pieces of wood stained with dyes and fitted together like a jigsaw puzzle. This technique, called marquetry, was a specialty of Parisian craftsman Joseph Cremer, whose signature is engraved among the scrolling stems and leaves.
A New York cabinetmaker imported the marquetry panel and incorporated it into this painted and gilded table made for an unknown American client. This extravagant object was intended for use in a formal interior to display ceramics, small bronze sculptures, or other precious artworks.