ticketsMember | Make a donation

Console table

1758
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 533
This is one of two console tables carved by Franz Anton Weber for the abundantly decorated Cabinet of Mirrors or Spiegelkabinett, the Rococo highlight of the palace of Adalbert II von Walderdorff (r.1757-59), Prince-Bishop of Fulda. The consoles’ pair is still preserved in situ. Such mirrored cabinets were a standard part of a stylish succession of staterooms that alluded to the absolute authority of the patron. In eighteenth-century Germany a Prince-Bishop ruled as the spiritual head of the regional Catholic Church and as an independent prince of the Holy Roman Empire. In the residence of Fulda the Cabinet of Mirrors occupied the most important space on the second floor next to the Prince-Bishop’s bedchamber.

The central cartouche of the apron shows St.Simplitius, a patron saint of the local diocese. The extravagantly carved rocaille ornaments and the vividly characterized hippocampus on the crossed stretchers of the feet make this table exemplify the sculptural quality and inventiveness of the Rococo period in the Hesse region. Despite the superb craftsmanship of his artistic carvings, almost nothing is known about Franz Anton Weber, although he must have been very familiar with related works existing throughout the neighboring Franconia.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Console table
  • Maker: Franz Adam Weber (German, active until 1759?)
  • Date: 1758
  • Culture: German, Fulda
  • Medium: Gilded lindenwood, pine; green marble (not original)
  • Dimensions: Overall: 31 x 33 x 22 in. (78.7 x 83.8 x 55.9 cm)
  • Classification: Woodwork-Furniture
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Friends of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts Gifts and John B. Ritter Gift, 2006
  • Object Number: 2006.114a, b
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Casket, Michel Redlin German, Amber, gold foil, gilt brass, wood, silk satin, paper, German, Danzig (Gdansk)
Casket
Michel Redlin
ca. 1680
Console table (one of a pair), Wood, partly gilded and painted; marble, Italian, Venice
Console table (one of a pair)
Italian, Venice
ca. 1715–25
Side table (commode servante or commode desserte), Jean Henri Riesener French, Oak, pine, mahogany, and mahogany veneer; gilt-bronze mounts; Carrara marble top and shelf, French, Paris
Side table (commode servante or commode desserte)
Jean Henri Riesener
ca. 1790
Console table from Croome Court, Worcestershire, Robert Adam British, Scottish, Carved and painted pine with newly carved swags; marble sheets veneered on a limestone core, British
Console table from Croome Court, Worcestershire
Robert Adam
Sefferin Alken
1765
Combination table, Martin Carlin French, Oak and pine veneered with tulipwood, sycamore, holly, boxwood and ebony; Carrara marble; gilt-bronze mounts; accessories of Sèvres porcelain, rock crystal, silver gilt, and lacquer, French, Paris
Combination table
Martin Carlin
ca. 1775

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.