ticketsMember | Make a donation

Mechanical table (Table mécanique)

1778
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 528
The number 2964 painted underneath the top of this table corresponds to an entry in the Journal du Garde-Meuble de la Couronne (a ledger listing new furniture for the royal residences) and identifies this multipurpose table as one of the first pieces ordered by Marie-Antoinette from her favorite cabinetmaker, Jean-Henri Riesener. A native of Westphalia, Riesener had a successful career in Paris and made many sumptuous pieces for the queen. This table was delivered to Versailles on December 12, 1778, exactly a week before the long-awaited birth of her first child, Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte. To alleviate Marie-Antoinette’s discomfort during the advanced state of her pregnancy, this table was fitted by Mercklein, a mécanicien in her service, with a special mechanism. Hidden behind a finely decorated gilt-bronze plaque at either end, this mechanism allowed the queen to use the table in either a seated or a standing position. By means of a detachable crank at one side, the top can be raised or lowered on ratcheted metal shafts that move up or down in the hollow legs (see detail below). The table could be used for various activities such as eating and writing and also reading and dressing, since the central panel of the top can be lifted to form a lectern and reversed to reveal a mirror. Pressing buttons along the front edge of the table releases the hinged lids to six compartments for the storage of cosmetic and writing equipment. The intricate marquetry decoration of the top has lost some of its subtle coloring over time. Framed alternately with natural (originally white) holly and black-stained holly, the bois satiné trelliswork encloses rosettes cut of an originally bright yellow barberry wood against a stained, soft yellow sycamore ground.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Mechanical table (Table mécanique)
  • Maker: Jean Henri Riesener (French, Gladbeck, North Rhine-Westphalia 1734–1806 Paris)
  • Maker: mechanism by Jean-Gotfritt Mercklein (1733–1808)
  • Date: 1778
  • Culture: French, Paris
  • Medium: Oak veneered with marquetry of bois satiné, holly, amaranth, barberry, stained sycamore, and green-lacquered wood; gilt-bronze mounts; steel, iron and brass fittings; mirror glass; velvet (not original)
  • Dimensions: Overall: 31 × 44 1/2 × 27 1/4 in. (78.7 × 113 × 69.2 cm)
  • Classification: Woodwork-Furniture
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1933
  • Object Number: 33.12
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Audio

Cover Image for 2261. Mechanical Table, Part 1

2261. Mechanical Table, Part 1

0:00
0:00

NARRATOR: This elegant mechanical table was delivered to Marie Antoinette at Versailles two weeks before the Queen gave birth to her long-awaited first child, Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte. It was made by the Queen’s favorite cabinetmaker, the German-born Jean-Henri Riesener. And it has the restrained rectilinear lines typical of the Neoclassical style. Author Caroline Weber.

CAROLINE WEBER: In the 18th-century, there were all kinds of different new pieces of furniture, . . . many of which could perform multiple functions and, thus, allowed for fairly advanced forms of 18th-century multitasking.

NARRATOR: The Queen could use the table for reading, eating, dressing, or writing. A crank on the right-hand side allows the top to be lowered or raised. So she could use it sitting or standing. And in the Queen’s advanced stage of pregnancy, you might even call this exquisite piece of furniture the forerunner of the modern hospital table. The raised central panel, which now holds a book, could be flipped over to show a mirror. Or she could press the small buttons in the rim of the table top to release the lids of six silk-lined compartments. These would have held the Queen’s toiletries and writing equipment.

CAROLINE WEBER: Something that's not well known about Marie Antoinette is how much of a letter-writer she was.

NARRATOR: To hear why she was, press play.

    Listen to more about this artwork

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Side table (commode servante or commode desserte), Jean Henri Riesener French, Oak, pine, mahogany, and mahogany veneer; gilt-bronze mounts; Carrara marble top and shelf, French, Paris
Side table (commode servante or commode desserte)
Jean Henri Riesener
ca. 1790
Commode, Jean Henri Riesener French, Oak, veneered with mahogany, gilt-bronze mounts, marble top, French
Commode
Jean Henri Riesener
ca. 1786
Drop-front secretary (Secrétaire en armoire), Jean Henri Riesener French, Oak veneered with ebony and 17th-century Japanese lacquer; interiors veneered with tulipwood, amaranth, holly, and ebonized holly; gilt-bronze mounts; marble top; velvet (not original), French, Paris
Drop-front secretary (Secrétaire en armoire)
Jean Henri Riesener
1783
Mechanical table, Jean Henri Riesener French, Oak veneered with mahogany and marquetry of bois satiné, sycamore, holly, ebonized holly fillets, and bayberry, the top with an amaranth border; gilt-bronze mounts; mirror glass; iron and brass fittings; green velvet (not original), French, Paris
Mechanical table
Multiple artists/makers
1781
Commode (Secrétaire à abattant), Jean Henri Riesener French, Oak veneered with ebony and 17th-century Japanese lacquer; interiors veneered with tulipwood, amaranth, holly, and ebonized holly; gilt-bronze mounts; marble top; velvet (not original), French, Paris
Commode (Secrétaire à abattant)
Jean Henri Riesener
1783

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.