Console table

Below the tabletop, a sculpted still life celebrates its aristocratic owner’s taste and achievements. The covered vase, crowned by a pinecone, refers to ancient Greece and Rome, as do the laurel leaves and berries, which were reserved for emperors, gods, and poets. They are framed on either side by chains of flowers and fruit. It is a table fit for a would-be king, but the French Revolution (1789–99) put a sudden end to these imperial fantasies.