Architect’s table (table à la Tronchin)
French eighteenth-century furniture was either designed for a very specific usage or served multiple purposes. This table falls into the latter category since it could be used for writing, reading or drawing both in standing and seated positions. This table shows similarities with the multifunctional tables the German cabinetmaker David Roentgen supplied to Catherine the Great of Russia and other patrons. Called table à la Tronchin in French after the Swiss physician Théodore Tronchin, an advocate of the value of fresh air, exercise, and a moderate lifestyle, who would have recommended its use to patients who worked for many hours in a seated position.
Artwork Details
- Title: Architect’s table (table à la Tronchin)
- Maker: Jean-François Leleu (1729–1807, master 1764)
- Date: ca. 1780–90
- Culture: French
- Medium: Mahogany and mahogany veneer on oak, gilt bronze, white metal, and leather
- Dimensions: closed, confirmed: 30 1/4 × 37 3/4 × 23 1/2 in. (76.8 × 95.9 × 59.7 cm)
- Classification: Woodwork-Furniture
- Credit Line: Bequest of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 2019
- Object Number: 2019.283.6
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
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Jean-François Leleu
ca. 1780
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1766/7
Sèvres Manufactory
1789
Sèvres Manufactory
Louis-François L'Écot
1791
Sèvres Manufactory
Jean-Claude Duplessis
1758
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