Table

Table - After the end of the French Revolution and after the fall of the Directory whose program championed simplicity in interior design, a new style came to dominate art at the beginning of the 19th c. It appeared with Napoleon Bonaparte's rise to power and it was called the Empire style. The new trend expressed the personal preferences of Napoleon I, who was inspired by the might of ancient civilisations - the Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians. The Empire style became a propaganda tool for the glorification of the French Empire and its ruler. Widespread in Europe, the style was developing in Poland, which was captivated by Napoleon's military victories that inspired hope for regaining the country's lost independence. In interior design, the new trend was distinguished by direct borrowing from ancient models. Where there were none, pseudo-antique works were created. This is especially well exemplified by furniture. The Empire style imposed strict symmetry and stability, smooth surfaces, and expressive lines. Not only the shape of the furniture evoked ancient epochs - so did the cast gilded bronze ornaments. Along with the trend of imitating old styles, the Empire style returned in the middle of the 19th c, during the Second French Empire and the reign of Napoleon III. The presented table was made in the late Empire style. The base of the table is a three-sided plinth. The table leg embedded in it is decorated with a gilded carving with a spiral grooving motif which always suggests the impression of movement, slightly upsetting the characteristic Empire style stillness.