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拍品專文
This boldly carved and gilt-decorated griffin base Empire card table is part of a three piece en suite parlor set originally owned by Robert Smith (1757-1842) of Baltimore. Now believed to be the work of an unidentified New York craftsman, this card table was formerly attributed to Charles Honore Lannuier.
The carved griffins are prominent to this table's design. The griffin, a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle, is derivative of French sources and English interpreters in furniture design (see La Mesangere's Collections des Meubles et Objets de Gout and Smith's Collection of Designs for Household Furniture). Similar examples of tables furnished with griffin figures are found in the Crimson Drawing Room at Carlton House, published in Pyne's Royal Residences (1816) and a marble top pier table in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Gregory R. Weidman, Furniture in Maryland, 1740-1940 (Baltimore, 1984), p. 188).
Original owner Robert Smith was a prominent Maryland attorney and statesman. Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and raised in Baltimore, Smith served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution and distinguished himself at the Battle of Brandywine in 1777. After the war, he attended Princeton College and went on to practice law. His renowned political career culminated in his appointment to Attorney General of the United States under Thomas Jefferson and later to Secretary of State under James Madison.
The carved griffins are prominent to this table's design. The griffin, a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle, is derivative of French sources and English interpreters in furniture design (see La Mesangere's Collections des Meubles et Objets de Gout and Smith's Collection of Designs for Household Furniture). Similar examples of tables furnished with griffin figures are found in the Crimson Drawing Room at Carlton House, published in Pyne's Royal Residences (1816) and a marble top pier table in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Gregory R. Weidman, Furniture in Maryland, 1740-1940 (Baltimore, 1984), p. 188).
Original owner Robert Smith was a prominent Maryland attorney and statesman. Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and raised in Baltimore, Smith served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution and distinguished himself at the Battle of Brandywine in 1777. After the war, he attended Princeton College and went on to practice law. His renowned political career culminated in his appointment to Attorney General of the United States under Thomas Jefferson and later to Secretary of State under James Madison.