French Empire guéridon

This round table stands upon a tripod, consisting of a base surmounted by a closed, upwards-tapering trunk with three concave sides. The corners of the base are rounded. Each of the corners has a circular profiled edge at the bottom and stands upon a caster. Upon the triangular base, each of the corners features a stylised ram’s head from which emerges a palmette leaf that slopes upwards along each rib. The marble tabletop with a wide, raised edge is supported by a broad, round band.

During the first French Empire (1804-1815), both the monumental and applied arts existed at the pleasure of the Emperor. In 1801, Charles Percier and François-Léonard Fontaine published their Recueil de Décorations Intérieures (Collection of Interior Decorations), thereby laying the foundation for the Empire style. The two designers were appointed as architects for the Emperor’s royal palaces, including their interiors. Their idiom of forms derived from the Classic Greek, Roman and Egyptian traditions, as well as the “esprit conquérant de l’Empire,” or “conquering spirit of the Empire.” Furniture in this style is pure and functional in form, but rather massive and weighty in appearance.