A Guéridon is a small, circular topped table supported by one or more columns, or by a figural carving, inspired by Ancient Greek or Egyptian architecture. The tables are often ornately carved and elaborately decorated and originated in France and Italy during the mid-17th century.
They were originally designed as a practical and convenient surface for placing a candelabra or decorative vase and due to their small stature, could easily be relocated within a room or house, as and when required.
There are several different suggestions for the origin of the term, the first being that the table takes its name from a comic character in the French farce “Conference of Antitus, Panurge and Gueridon”, published in 1614.
However, the term is also used in France to denote a particular form of satirical song. Sadly, it is unclear whether the song style was inspired by the play, or the character name took inspiration from the song.
A third theory suggests that the table derives from a character with the same name in a ballet from the era, known as “le Ballet des Argonauts”. In the ballet, a Moorish character performs a dance whilst holding candles, to light his surroundings.
The theory being that early Gueridon’s were often carved with exotic pedestal figures from sub-Saharan Africa, and were used as candlestands, thereby resembling the dancer. However this seems somewhat tenuous at best, so I will leave it up to the reader to pick their preference.
Perhaps the most celebrated proponent of the Gueridon was the Italian furniture maker Andrea Brustolon (1662-1732). The Venetian’s works are famed for their extravagant carving and elaborate Baroque decoration. Many fine examples of his work can be seen in the Sala del Brustolon at Ca’ Rezzonico palazzo in Venice.
Louis XIV of France was such a huge fan of the ubiquitous tables that it is said that there were hundreds of gueridons littered throughout the Palace of Versailles by the time of his death in 1715.
Click here to view a selection of Guéridons currently available from BADA members.