Table
1855 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Queen Victoria (ruled 1837-1901) ordered this small French table as a Christmas present for her husband, Prince Albert, in 1855 The porcelain plaque on the front carries their joint monogram, ‘VA’. The table was also a souvenir of their state visit to the Emperor Napoleon III in France earlier in the year. The visit had coincided with the Exposition Universelle, which was held in Paris. This was France’s answer to the British success of the Great Exhibition, which had been held in the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, in 1851. Queen Victoria visited the Paris exhibition three times, but did not order this table until she returned to London.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Marquetry of tulipwood and other woods on a carcase of oak, with porcelain plaques, and mounts in gilded and silvered bronze |
| Brief description | Table, with marquetry, porcelain plaques and gilded and silvered bronze mounts, made by the firm of Edouard Kreisser, Paris, 1855 |
| Physical description | A table in Louis XVI style, with marquetry of tulipwood and other woods, with mounts of gilded and silvered bronze, the frieze set with a porcelain plaque |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | E. Kreisser / a Paris. 52 rue Basse du Rempart / Expotion Universelles / de Paris 1855 (1) Makers's mark; French; Cursive; On main marquetry panel on top; Engraved; 1855) |
| Gallery label |
|
| Credit line | Presented by Mr George Farrow, Kent |
| Object history | Ordered by Queen Victoria from the firm of Edouard Kreisser after her visit to the Paris International Exhibition in 1855, with a cabinet. See 'Victoria and Albert. Art and Love', catalogue of the exhibition at the Queen's Gallery, 2010, no. 180, pp. 261-2). The table was given to Prince Albert as a Christmas present in 1855. Both table and cabinet were at Osborne in the late-nineteenth century (Osborne Catalogue, 1876, vol. II, p. 22) where they stood in the Small Drawing Room or Audience Room. It is not known when or how the table left the Royal Collection. In 1964 the table was with the dealers Kerrins in London and was bought by Mr George Farrow, who presented it to the V&A. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Association | |
| Summary | Queen Victoria (ruled 1837-1901) ordered this small French table as a Christmas present for her husband, Prince Albert, in 1855 The porcelain plaque on the front carries their joint monogram, ‘VA’. The table was also a souvenir of their state visit to the Emperor Napoleon III in France earlier in the year. The visit had coincided with the Exposition Universelle, which was held in Paris. This was France’s answer to the British success of the Great Exhibition, which had been held in the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, in 1851. Queen Victoria visited the Paris exhibition three times, but did not order this table until she returned to London. |
| Bibliographic references |
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.9-1964 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | June 1, 2001 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON
