Twee ronde tafels 1772 - 1779

Pierre Gabriel Berthault made this drawing of two round tables, or "Tables à déjeuner," sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century. It is made with pen and brown ink, brush and gray wash, over graphite on paper. The tables themselves, though only represented here, would likely have been made from carved and gilded wood, or possibly metal. The drawing gives us insight into the design process, and how the forms were conceived. Note the fine details of the carved ornament, especially the acanthus leaves and classical motifs. This kind of precise ornamentation required considerable labor. The drawing itself would have been part of a larger system of production and consumption, demonstrating the high level of craftsmanship, and feeding the consumer desire for luxury goods. The artist’s skill in rendering form and detail surely contributed to the desirability of the tables themselves, blurring the lines between art, design, and commercial enterprise. Ultimately, the value of the artwork lies in the ways of making, and the social context of the art piece.