Hampton

Federal style, 1800-1815
Baltimore

By the early 19th century, tall-legged pier tables, usually made in pairs, were essential furnishings for the drawing rooms and best parlors in affluent households. Their name comes from the architectural term for the space between two windows, called a pier. The table was made in Baltimore or Philadelphia and features legs with reeded decoration, derived from the ancient Roman fasces or bundle of reeds. This table, which has Hampton provenance but had left the estate, is similar to another Federal pier table with reeded legs that remained in the Ridgely family.

Mahogany, white pine. H 91.4, L 102.9, D 54.9 cm 
Hampton National Historic Site, HAMP 4086