We’ve had a very interesting find recently regarding this center table from the Octagon, of the Garden Pavilion, Buckingham Palace, London.
The table, which appears to be the work of the celebrated firm of royal decorators George Morant and Sons, is of giltwood with the striking decorative form of three female monopodia joined by their outstretched wings which support the circular table top. Scrolling acanthine carving supports the body of each figure, running into the muscular form of the single zoomorphic upright terminating in a powerful claw foot, standing on a shaped triform base with concave sides. The table was illustrated in Ludwig Grüner’s The Decorations of the Garden Pavillion in the Grounds of Buckingham Palace, 1846 (below). Read more... (262 words, 3 images, estimated 1:03 mins reading time)
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
We recently read a post on the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s blog about the depiction of fruit in painting. This inspired us to consider all of the pieces of furniture in our building that incorporate fruits and vegetables. In anticipation of the Thanksgiving holiday, we’ve selected three delectable pieces from the Carlton Hobbs collection that feature these motifs to whet your decorative arts appetites! Read more... (518 words, 3 images, estimated 2:04 mins reading time)
Filed in Art, Furniture
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Also tagged bracket, carved, Cornucopia, food, fruit, harvest, mirror, pomegranate, symbols, vegetables, wheat
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Fig. 1: Ancient Greek serpent worship.
Snakes, more commonly referred to as serpents in mythology and religion, have held important positions in the dogmas of many cultures throughout history. They feature in the art and lore of Egyptian, Native American, African, Christian, Aboriginal, Indian, Judaic, and Ancient Greek (Fig. 1) and Roman civilizations. Read more... (404 words, 3 images, estimated 1:37 mins reading time)
Italian. Circa 1825.
Height: 21″ (53 cm); Diameter: 47 1/2″ (120 cm).
This extraordinary pietre dure and marble top is set with rare stones depicting symbols and images significant to the secret cult of Freemasonry, “an Anglo-Saxon creation first transplanted to Florence in 1733… The Masonic principles of nonsectarianism and abstract belief in a “Great Architect of the Universe” were viewed as an intolerable threat by Pope Clement XII, who issued the first papal edict that ordered excommunication of any Catholics who became Masons.” At the time at which this piece was made, Italian Freemasons were particularly concerned with the ideals of Liberty, and played an active role in progressing the country’s struggle for unification and for freedom from both foreign and papal domination. Read more... (395 words, 1 image, estimated 1:35 mins reading time)
This is a preview of An Octagonal Pietre Dure and Marble Tabletop Depicting Masonic Symbols
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Read the full post (395 words, 1 image, estimated 1:35 mins reading time)
Helena Rubinstein's side tables. Photo: Over The Top, Slesin, 2003; p 203.
While reading “Over The Top,” Suzanne Slesin’s tome on the life and style of philanthropist and cosmetics mogul Helena Rubinstein, we discovered a photo of a pair of side tables in herliving room almost identical to tables of ours: a pair of première-partie center tables after the model by André-Charles Boulle, dating from the last quarter of the 18th century.
One of a pair of center tables after André-Charles Boulle. Carlton Hobbs LLC.
Read more... (205 words, 2 images, estimated 49 secs reading time)
