Side table
Best known as Louis XlV’s court painter, Charles Le Brun was also a gifted designer of decorative arts.
Between 1683 and 1687, a number of Le Brun’s sketches for items of furniture were executed in solid silver and supplied to the Galerie des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors) at the Palace of Versailles.
In 1689, needing funds to pay his troops, Louis had these marvels of craftsmanship melted down; they yielded about 20,000 tons of silver bullion attesting to the immense quantity of these extraordinary items. Before they were destroyed however, elements of their shapes and decoration were adapted to less valuable materials such as gilt-bronze and wood.
With its winged caryatid figures, this gilded oak table which dates to ca. 1690, resembles one shown in an etching of the Galerie des Glaces, and it is likely a later and humbler version of a piece originally made of solid silver.
Between 1683 and 1687, a number of Le Brun’s sketches for items of furniture were executed in solid silver and supplied to the Galerie des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors) at the Palace of Versailles.
In 1689, needing funds to pay his troops, Louis had these marvels of craftsmanship melted down; they yielded about 20,000 tons of silver bullion attesting to the immense quantity of these extraordinary items. Before they were destroyed however, elements of their shapes and decoration were adapted to less valuable materials such as gilt-bronze and wood.
With its winged caryatid figures, this gilded oak table which dates to ca. 1690, resembles one shown in an etching of the Galerie des Glaces, and it is likely a later and humbler version of a piece originally made of solid silver.
Artwork Details
- Title: Side table
- Designer: after a design by Charles Lebrun (1619–1690)
- Date: ca. 1685
- Culture: French
- Medium: Carved and gilded oak, fleur-de-pêche marble top
- Dimensions: Overall: 31 1/2 × 77 × 32 1/4 in. (80 × 195.6 × 81.9 cm)
- Classification: Woodwork-Furniture
- Credit Line: Wrightsman Fund, 1987
- Object Number: 1987.281a, b
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Jean Henri Riesener
ca. 1790
Martin Carlin
ca. 1775
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1768–72, with later additions
Pierre-Adrien Paris
ca. 1777–80
Gilles Joubert
1759
Related Content
Publications
Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.
Free to download
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.