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Console table
Alcora Manufactory (Spanish, active 1727–about 1858)
Probably modeled by: Julian Lopez (Spanish, working about 1745–1779, died 1792)
Possibly decorated by: Jacinto Causada (Spanish, active about 1745–65)
Probably modeled by: Julian Lopez (Spanish, working about 1745–1779, died 1792)
Possibly decorated by: Jacinto Causada (Spanish, active about 1745–65)
Spanish (Alcora)
about 1761–63
Medium/Technique
Tin-glazed earthenware, colored enamels
Dimensions
Overall: 96.5 x 132.7 x 68.6 cm (38 x 52 1/4 x 27 in.)
Credit Line
Henry H. and Zoe Oliver Sherman Fund
Accession Number2010.585
CollectionsEurope
ClassificationsCeramics – Pottery – Earthenware
Furniture – Tables, stands, screens
Furniture – Tables, stands, screens
This table is the only known example of ceramic furniture produced by the royal factory at Alcora, Spain's leading producer of fine ceramics in the 18th century. Under the patronage of the 10th Count of Aranda, it was probably conceived as part of a "porcelain room," perhaps to rival the one recently commissioned by King Carlos III for the royal palace at Aranjuez. Factory archives mention such a table in combination with large wall plaques, small figures on brackets, and a ceramic chandelier. When combined, the impact of the richly modeled forms and painted decoration must have been spectacular-a fitting tribute to Spain's ceramic ambitions as well as the Count's.
DescriptionTable whose shaped top consists of two halves supported by four legs in the form of musicians playing horns and trumpets.
Marks
unmarked
ProvenanceAbout 1955, with Maurice de Rothschild (b. 1881 - d. 1957), Geneva; sold by or through Rothschild to Armand de Wittekind (d. 1970), Geneva; by inheritance to his widow, Charlotte de Wittekind, Geneva and Bas Monthoux, France; about 1978, sold by Mrs. Wittekind to Pierre Vandermeersch, Paris; about 1978, sold by Vandermeersch to a private collector ("B.L."), Paris; 2008, sold from this private ("B.L.") collection to Michel Vandermeersch and Alain Moatti for Voltaire Antiques, Paris; 2010, sold by Voltaire Antiques to the MFA. (Accession Date: September 22, 2010)