About the Artwork
With a wealth of materials and a fusion of historic styles, this demi-lune (half-moon) table embodies the transitional taste of the French Directoire (1795–99). The spare, architectonic components of the design reflect an ongoing fascination with the classical forms of the ancient Mediterranean that was ignited by archaeological investigations begun earlier in the century. These Neoclassical elements are further enhanced by plaques featuring figural Greek motifs in the distinctive white on blue jasperware imported from Wedgwood Pottery in Staffordshire, England. More exotic imported materials include the original blue marble top and the mahogany veneer. The monumental form of a winged sphinx in gilded bronze that supports the table introduces a strikingly different element based on the new and rising interest in the artifacts of ancient Egypt. The broad wing span of the figure contrasts with the lean, single-leg support that assigns the table the term monopod (one foot).
From Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts 89 (2015)
Mahogany Pier Table with Sphinx Monopod
ca. 1799
Antoine-Léonard Dupasquier (Designer) French, 1748 - c. 1831 Martin Eloi Lignereux (Designer) French, 1752 - 1809 Adam Weisweiler (Maker) French, 1750-1810 Antoine-Léonard Dupasquier (Maker) French, 1748 - c. 1831 Pierre Philippe Thomire (Maker) French, 1751-1843
Mahogany veneer, gilt bronze, wedgwood jasperware plaques, mirror, bleu turquin marble
Overall: 36 × 58 1/2 × 19 inches (91.4 × 148.6 × 48.3 cm)
Furniture
European Sculpture and Dec Arts
Museum Purchase, Stoddard Family Foundation, Joseph H. Parsons Fund, Andrew L. and Gayle Shaw Camden Contemporary and Decorative Arts Fund, Janis and William Wetsman Foundation Fund, Alan, Marianne and Marc Schwartz Fund; and gift of K.T. Keller by exchange
2007.117
Public Domain
Markings
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Provenance
Gustave Duval, Paris by 1925Château de Grand-Vaux, Savigny-sur-Orge, 22-24 June 1935, lot 382;
Professor Guy Ledoux-Lebard;
His sale, Artcurial | Briest - Poulain - F. Tajan, Hôtel Marcel Dassault, Paris, 20 June 2006, lot 144;
Richard Redding Antiques Ltd. (dealer), Zurich (purchased at TEFAF)
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Provenance pageExhibition History
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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.
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Suggest FeedbackPublished References
Marmottan, P. Le Style Empire: Architecture et decor d'interieurs. 3rd ed. Paris, 1925, pl. 28.
Ledoux-Lebard, D. Les ebenistes du XIXe siecle 1795-1889: les oeuvres et leurs marques. Paris, 1984, p. 437.
Cordier, Sylvain. Bellagé, ébénistes, une histoire du goût au XIXe siècle. Paris, 2012, pp. 401–403.
Darr, Alan Phipps, Yao-Fen You, and Megan Reddicks. “Recent Acquisitions (2007–15) of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts at the Detroit Institute of Arts.” The Burlington Magazine 158 (June 2016): 501–512, p. 508 (ill.).
Bulletin of the DIA: Notable Acquisitions, 2000–2015, vol. 89, no. 1/4 (2015), p. 47 (ill.).
Richard Redding Antiques Ltd: 40 Years of Passion. Zürich, 2017, pp. 56-57 (ill.).
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Credit Line for Reproduction
Antoine-Léonard Dupasquier; Martin Eloi Lignereux; Adam Weisweiler; et al., Mahogany Pier Table with Sphinx Monopod, ca. 1799, mahogany veneer, gilt bronze, Wedgwood jasperware plaques, mirror, bleu turquin marble. Detroit Institute of Arts, Museum Purchase, Stoddard Family Foundation, Joseph H. Parsons Fund, et al., 2007.117.
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