Center Table 1822 - 1825

This center table was crafted by Joseph Meeks & Sons, sometime between 1829 and 1835. It features a marble top and a base of mahogany and rosewood. The hardwoods would have been carefully carved, joined, and finished, with an elaborate and fashionable botanical motif. The animalistic feet add to the effect. There is a clear intention to impress here. The table reflects a high degree of handwork, though in an increasingly industrialized world. A piece like this would have been made by skilled workers, in a workshop environment geared to affluent consumers. The marble top, most likely imported from Italy, adds an undeniable aura of luxury, both for its visual appeal and as a literal marker of global exchange. The table's physical presence, its weight and the sheen of its polished surfaces, speak to the owner’s elevated social standing. It’s a testament to the ways in which design and production were becoming increasingly enmeshed with wider social issues of labor, politics, and consumption.