CONSULATE PERIOD PEDESTAL TABLE In mahogany veneer, painted wood and partly gilded, with a Levanto marble top encircled by an ingot mould, the shaft with an amphora motif among foliage and garlands of pearls, resting on three blackened wooden claw feet formerly fitted with castors; small accidents. H.72.5 cm (28 ½ in.) D.79 cm (31 in.) A Consulat parcel-gilt, mahogany and ebonised gueridon This type of circular monopod pedestal table, which had existed in Antiquity, reappeared in the aftermath of the French Revolution in a desire for sobriety imitating Antiquity. In particular, the superimposition of geometric motifs, such as the fleuron inscribed in a rhombus or the stylised palmette adorning the three sides of the shaft, were inspired by Pompeii. The unusual design of the shaft brings our example close to the "Table de Déjeûner" model (see Fig. 1) from the collection by La Mésangère, Paris, 1802, pl. 49(1). A pedestal table similar to ours is attributed to Bernard Molitor by Professor Ulrich Leben in the monograph he dedicated to the work of this cabinetmaker(2); in particular the carved reliefs on the central foot can be compared to the ornaments on a daybed stamped by Molitor from the former Lefèvre collection(3). (1) P.M. Kenny, F.F. Brettet and U. Leben, Honoré Lannuier, Cabinet Maker from Paris, Harry N. Abrams, New York, 1998, p. 193, pl. 97. (2) U. Leben, Molitor Ébéniste de Louis XVI à Louis XVIII, Éditions d'Art Monelle Hayot, 1992, p. 165, Fig. 114. (3) ibid. p. 204 Fig. 156 A.