Empire Table with Palmettes, possibly Berlin / Gotha, circa 1820/25

This oval Empire salon table is supported by two columnar legs in the form of stylized palms, partly gilt and partly ebonized. The plinth and the oval top are veneered in mahogany and enriched with kymation and ropework friezes. The distinctive design, most striking in profile, reflects the contemporary fascination with Egyptian motifs following Napoleon’s campaigns around the turn of the century. Provenance: Philippe Farley Antiquités, November 1990; Carole Harris, River Ranch, Central Valley, California, June 2025. 

A suite of furniture from Schloss Friedenstein in Gotha is known, including a table and a fall-front secretary featuring carved palm motifs (cf. Luthmer-Schmidt, Empire und Biedermeier Möbel).