Capital Table with Glass Top (optional)
Dave Allen created this table base from a pair of antique architectural pilaster capitals carved from Indiana limestone at the turn of the last century. These identical capitals were installed for nearly a century on a Manhattan public school that was demolished in the year 2000. He purchased them in New York from the demolition contractor.
Now mounted back-to-back on a hidden steel frame, they have begun a new life as an elegant base for a dining or grand entry table. Shown herewith a 72” diameter top, it could just as easily accommodate an eight or nine foot long rectangular top. Glass top to your specifications included.
The pilaster tops, visible through the glass, were intentionally left as found, with small wood inserts and attachment points from the original construction still visible. The carvings themselves are beautifully executed, a fine example of the work typically done by classically trained Italian immigrants who arrived in the US in the late 19th and early 20th century. I’m always amazed by the beauty and artistic balance of these old pieces, carved as they were by everyday craftsmen, who worked over the course of a lifetime with hammer and chisel, skillfully producing an art now mostly lost to us.