Pier Table (one of a pair)
Late Neoclassical (Empire) style, c. 1822
Baltimore; attributed to Hugh Finlay & Co. (fl. 1803-1830)
In May 1822, Governor Charles Carnan Ridgely of Hampton paid Hugh Finlay & Co. $188.68, a figure approximating the cost of a pair of tables of this type and a likely date for the manufacture of these particular pieces. Other payments to the Finlay shop between 1803-1832 confirm active commerce by the Ridgely family with this highly successful Baltimore firm who had made furniture for the White House in 1809. The design and ornamentation of this pair of tables is typical of Baltimore painted furniture in general and the work of the Finlays in particular. The decorative motifs such as crossed torches within a wreath and winged thunderbolts of Caesar are derived from ancient Roman designs, some of which Napoleon adopted as the symbols of his Empire.
Poplar and other woods, marble. H 78.7, W 107.2, D 53.5 cm
Hampton National Historic Site, HAMP 1162