Mechanical Table
This delicate table, probably made for a fashionable lady, reflects the French fascination with mechanical devices during the second half of the eighteenth century. Brass supports hidden inside the upper portion of each of the legs allow the tabletop to be raised an additional fifteen inches. A system of concealed cogwheels connects the four supports and allows the top to be lifted with little effort. The top also pivots and tilts; and on each side, small wooden boards extend, possibly to hold candlesticks. It is unlikely that this table was used to support more than a small cup of tea or chocolate. The various mechanical devices are difficult to engage, suggesting that this piece was activated only on rare occasions for a discerning audience.
Source: Vignon, Charlotte. The Frick Collection Decorative Arts Handbook. New York: The Frick Collection/Scala, 2015.
Duke of Berwick and Alba. Charles Wertheimer. J. Pierpont Morgan, London and New York. Duveen. Frick, 1915.
Source: Furniture in The Frick Collection: French 18th- & 19th-Century Furniture (Pt. 2) & Gilt Bronzes. Volume VI. New York: The Frick Collection, 1992.
