Gate-legged Table c. 1937

Frank Wenger rendered this gate-legged table with an eye for detail, using watercolor to capture its form and character. The prominent feature is the 'gate-leg' design, a clever mechanism allowing the table's leaves to swing out, expanding the surface. Consider this hinge, connecting past to present. The hinge, as a symbol, stretches back through the ages. In medieval altarpieces, hinges allowed wings to open and reveal sacred scenes, mediating between the earthly and divine. The symbolic hinge is a motif, and the idea of transition is deeply rooted in the human psyche. Here, the hinge facilitates a transformation: a small table blossoms into a gathering place, its surface ready to host conversation and camaraderie. This simple expansion echoes a universal desire to connect, to open up, and to share, echoing from one era to the next.