Console Table (one of a pair)

Bridging the transition from the Baroque of Louis XIV to the Rococo of Louis XV, this pair of console tables are executed in the Régence style. Still strictly symmetrical in their decoration, the tables are characterized by their bold carving and the exaggerated curves of their supports. Placed against the pier between two windows and fastened to the wall, console tables were considered part of the interior decoration of a room and were usually custom made. Since such tables were delivered directly to the customer and not sold on the open market, they were generally not stamped and only rarely do we know the name of the artisans involved. While the basic frame was made by a joiner or menuisier en bâtiments, a specialized carver or sculptor would have been responsible for the sculptural decoration.