Center Table (Primary Title)
Unknown (Artist)
By the mid-19th century, labor-saving machinery had reduced the time and cost of furniture production. This mechanization coincided with a pervasive vogue for all things French and, in particular, for the decorative baroque taste of the 18th-century court. The convergence of these technical and aesthetic developments nurtured a contemporary demand for suites rendered in the Rococo Revival style. From New York to Natchez, fashion-conscious consumers outfitted their parlors with boldly carved sofas and chairs upholstered in coordinating fabrics. Additional pieces likes étagères and center tables could also be commissioned.
This bold center table with this rich marble top stood in the Richmond parlor of the Bruce House. Elvira Cabell Bruce, widow of Patrick Henry Jr. (son of the famous orator) moved to the home on fashionable East Clay Street after the death of her second husband, James Bruce, about 1837. A noted hostess and philanthropist, Elvira Bruce died in 1859. The house was destroyed by fire in 1910.
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