Day 269 - Pier table


 November 8, 2021

Gallery 732 has more Federal-period furniture, along with silver and glassware from the same era. I don't care for most of it, but this pier table immediately catches my eye because of its relative simplicity and the pleasing contrast between the strict geometry of the rectangular marble top and the graceful curves of the mahogany legs and base, and the mirror at the table's bottom. The table measures about 42 inches wide,  36 inches high, and 18 inches deep and was made in New York City around 1825.

According to the placard, pier tables typically were placed in a space between two windows and topped by a mirror. That said, I imagine this table in a front hall, as a place where the home's residents could park their keys and check their appearance in the mirror upon leaving or re-entering the premises.

I finally came to grips today with the fact that most furniture just doesn't interest me all that much. Yet, when I first saw this piece, I immediately thought , "Oh, a pier table" (not that I'm sure I could have succinctly defined what a pier table is).*  I may not be enjoying these rooms a great deal, but I am learning something!

*According to Wikipedia, a pier table is a table designed to be placed between two windows or two columns.

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