Studio: international art (35.1905)

Ancient Tables

farmers, in whose possession they had re-
mained for generations, until they were
induced to sell them to collectors and others
who could judge of the artistic and intrinsic
merits of these household goods and knew
how valuable they were. Many of these
precious specimens of old furniture, including
some rare tables, have been hurried over to
the other side of the Atlantic. Nevertheless,
there are some few private collectors on
the Continent who can boast of possessing
unique pieces of early Gothic, late Gothic,
and Renaissance furniture, and there are

FIG. I.—GOTHIC TRESTLE TABLE I5TH CENTURY

(Nordbohmisches Gewerbe-Museum, Reichenberg)

FIG. II.—GOTHIC TABLE (Count Wilczek's Collection) CA. A.D. 1500

this collection. It is of oak, and is
what is known in Germany as a
“Bock” or trestle. The trestles,
however, in olden times were of various
forms, some being simple supports,
which were carried in and out at meal-
times, the table itself being placed upon
them, and the whole being hidden by
the long flowing drapery of the table-
cloth. Indeed, the Germans still use
the term “ Tischaufheben”—to “raise”
or remove the table — whereas the
English say remove the cloth. Such
tables as those here represented were
probably used more for decoration of
the room than for meals, and may
have been placed in the window or
some other recess in the chamber,

fine pieces in the museums
of some of the smaller,
little known cities of the
Austrian dominions, as, for
instance, at Reichenberg
and Briinn, in Bohemia.
The museum at the former
place has lately had its own
goodly collection enriched
by the Liebig collection,
for Baron Liebig left the
whole of his valuable accu-
mulations, thefruitof almost
a lifetime’s earnest search,
to this museum. Among
the precious relics of past
ages are some very beau-
tiful specimens of Gothic
furniture, Gothic ornaments
and sculpture. The table
shown in Fig. I. belongs to
31°

FIG. III.—GOTHIC TABLE ( Count Wilczek'S Collectl07l) CA. A.D. 1500