Object Notes

This pier table is one of the most elaborate surviving examples of its type. Its richly carved and gilded feet, blue marble, ormolu bases and capital, mirrored glass, exotic woods, and stenciled ornamentation make this object extremely expensive.

Girandole glasses came into popularity in England during the last decade of the 18th century, and by about 1805 such mirrors were being used in America.

Patterned after English examples, large looking glasses like these were extremely expensive. Large pieces of silvered mirror glass were not produced in the United States and, therefore, had to be imported.

Sideboards were novel forms in late 18th-century America, as dedicated rooms for dining-and their associated furnishings-were unusual features in homes (prior to this time, dining usually took place in a multipurpose room).

The term