Sideboard, also known as the Pericles Dressoir
An ambitious example of British craftsmanship, this so-called Pericles dressoir or sideboard was specifically designed by Talbert as the centerpiece for the stand of Holland & Sons at the Paris International Exhibition of 1867. Talbert, known for his work in the reformed Gothic style, included a scene from Shakespeare’s Pericles, Prince of Tyre in the central gable as well as several quotations from this and two other Shakespeare plays, allusions to dining and the grace before a meal. Both the references to Shakespeare as well as the use of oak, a British native wood, are manifestations of immense national pride.
Artwork Details
- Title: Sideboard, also known as the Pericles Dressoir
- Designer: Bruce J. Talbert (British, Dundee, Scotland 1838–1881 London)
- Manufacturer: Holland & Sons (British, 1843–1942)
- Date: 1866
- Culture: British, London
- Medium: Oak, inlaid with ebony, walnut, boxwood, amaranth, carved and gilded; brass fittings
- Dimensions: Overall: 128 × 113 × 30 in. (325.1 × 287 × 76.2 cm)
- Classification: Woodwork-Furniture
- Credit Line: Purchase, Gift of Irwin Untermyer, by exchange; Romano I. Peluso, Ada Peluso, William Lie Zeckendorf, Lila Acheson Wallace, Malcolm Hewitt Wiener Foundation, Carol Grossman, Patricia Wengraf Ltd., Anonymous, Henry Arnhold, Marilyn and Lawrence Friedland, Irene Roosevelt Aitken, Andrew Butterfield and Claire Schiffman, Jason Jacques, Anne Rorimer, and Ian Wardropper and Sarah McNear Gifts, in honor of James David Draper, 2015
- Object Number: 2015.281a, b
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
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