Round table

Accustomed to the utilitarian function of furniture, we do not always remember that it can also serve a purely decorative role. The table on display was created during a period of enthusiasm for the art and culture of antiquity, understood in the 19th century both as a discipline of academic study and as a graceful motif for imitation in art and interior design. Both Renaissance borrowings from antiquity and direct ancient models were used. The circular shape of the table, supported by a single leg set in a tripod base, refers to the Roman monopodium. The artificial stone tabletop was used as a base for a painting surrounded by ornamental vines. The figures of the men taming the bull are dressed in ancient costumes. The struggle with the strong animal is a genre scene. The motif of fighting a bull in itself brings to mind mythological content. The artist’s name is only revealed by the date preceded by the Latin abbreviation “AD 1842”. Teresa Bagińska-Żurawska