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Pier Table

Decorative Arts and Design

Charles-Honoré Lannuier was trained in Paris and immigrated in 1803 to New York, where he became one of the leading furniture makers. After the Revolutionary War and War of 1812, anti-English sentiment made French goods especially appealing to Americans. Lannuier imported French pattern books to keep abreast of the latest fashions. One of these books was the design source for the robustly carved and gilded supports in the form of caryatids (mythogical female figures); carved dolphin feet; and elaborate gilt-bronze mounts.

This table and the portrait of Washington nearby were both owned by Hezekiel Beers Pierrepont (1768–1838), scion of an important Brooklyn Heights family. The two objects stood in the Pierrepont house in Brooklyn Heights before they came to the Museum in the 1940s.
MEDIUM Marble, rosewood, ormolu, gesso
DATES ca. 1815–1819
DIMENSIONS 36 x 55 7/8 x 21 1/4 in. (91.4 x 141.9 x 54.6 cm)  (show scale)
ACCESSION NUMBER 41.1
CREDIT LINE Gift of the Pierrepont Family
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Pier table, white marble top supported by rosewood veneer frame, applied ormolu (bronze gilt) wreaths on each corner, back of table has inset looking glass, skirting of table is supported by two gesso winged classical figures, resting on concave shelf which is supported by two gesso dolphin heads. Condition: Good
MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
CAPTION Charles-Honoré Lannuier (American, born France, 1779–1819). Pier Table, ca. 1815–1819. Marble, rosewood, ormolu, gesso, 36 x 55 7/8 x 21 1/4 in. (91.4 x 141.9 x 54.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Pierrepont Family, 41.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 41.1_IMLS_SL2.jpg)
IMAGE overall, 41.1_IMLS_SL2.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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