Divided Tray for a Globe Work Table (Globustisch)

c. 1810–15

Divided Tray for a Globe Work Table (Globustisch), c. 1810–15. Austria, Vienna, early 1800s. Burl walnut veneer, mahogany, ebony, satinwood, gilt wood, painted wood; overall: 5.7 x 16.5 x 14.8 cm (2 1/4 x 6 1/2 x 5 13/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift 2020.199.c Work tables resembling globes were the usual form for a lady's sewing or writing table around 1800 in Austria. Combining moving parts, secret compartments, and highly finished decoration, these tables were also a way for the cabinetmaker to show off his skill. The tripod supports and temple-like architectural quality of both the exterior and interior decoration reflect the fashionable taste for neoclassical style, or Biedermeier as it was called in Austria, where Vienna was the center of such elaborate furniture production. The top half of the globe rotates upward to reveal hidden compartments for sewing tools, threads, and unfinished fabric pieces.