Pier Table 1815 - 1819

Curator: Welcome. Before us stands a remarkable Pier Table, crafted between 1815 and 1819 by Charles-Honoré Lannuier. This stunning piece resides here at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: My first impression is its bold synthesis of luxury and mythology. Those gilded sphinxes supporting a marble tabletop make a powerful statement. It’s impossible not to see it as a symbol of power and status. Curator: Absolutely. The use of costly materials—wood, marble, and metal—signals wealth, and the Neoclassical design reflects the aspirations of the emerging American elite in the early 19th century. Lannuier, as a French émigré, understood how to cater to this new class seeking to emulate European grandeur, imbuing their surroundings with signifiers of sophistication and authority. Editor: I’m particularly drawn to those sphinxes. They seem to embody a complex duality—the alluring, almost seductive female form combined with the power of a lion. How does this melding of genders and species play into the table’s broader symbolic language? Is it simply ornamental, or is there a deeper commentary on the shifting roles and perceptions of women in that period? Curator: That's a astute observation. It is likely these sphinxes represent idealized femininity through a lens of imperial ambition. Think of them as silent witnesses to a society grappling with evolving gender roles amidst rapid political and social change. Lannuier and his patrons were undeniably making a declaration. Editor: The very placement of such an imposing object – typically against a wall, beneath a mirror – speaks to performative identity. This table isn't just furniture, but a prop in a carefully curated display of wealth and taste meant to be observed, judged, and envied. Curator: I concur entirely. Considering its existence within elite domestic spaces reveals how art functioned as a marker of social distinction and cultural capital. Editor: This Lannuier pier table isn't merely a beautiful object, but a rich nexus of social, political, and aesthetic currents that invites a deeper investigation into the past. Curator: Precisely, by situating this within the tapestry of history, it challenges us to reevaluate how art helps create both personal and collective identity.