Featured Artifact: Richard Valentine Morris’ Specimen Table

Today's featured artifact is a square mahogany specimen table. It was owned by Richard Valentine Morris, son of the more famous Lewis Morris who signed The Declaration of Independence. Being from such a prominent family, Richard Morris had the financial means and status to commission this elaborate piece of furniture. The resulting work of art sports carved legs with urn inlays at the top and rosette inlays at the bottom. The main feature of the table is its top, flaunting 144 square pieces of colored marble held together in a brass frame. The table earns the classification of a 'specimen table' from its array of diverse stones, collected from different excavation sites. 

Specimen tables were popular among the English elite in the 18th and 19th centuries. Even after America gained its independence, Britain continued to have cultural influence over its former colonies. The elite of America often viewed Europe as the height of culture, emulating their art and decorating their houses in similar styles. Thus, it is not uncommon to see a specimen table, inspired by European models, in America. The main feature of specimen tables is their incorporation of different stone materials (Gowrley). 

During this time, it was common for young men of elite families to go on Grand Tours of Europe where they had access to fine marble and granite. This coming-of-age rite served to educate young men in the classics. Many rich youths traveled to Italy to embrace Roman history and study Latin. Although Grand Tours were intended as scholarly endeavors, young men often used their freedom from home as an opportunity to gamble and engage in promiscuous activities (Howard). The elite also used their time to collect samples of rocks and marble, later commissioning specimen tables to show off the findings from their travels. Some of these materials were taken from Roman excavation sites and made into smaller pieces (Gowrley). The elite’s ability to not only own but break down artifacts from antiquity shows the privilege of the individuals who went on Grand Tours. Thus, the specimen tables were a way for people to show their status and culture.

Although it was popular for elite young men to acquire the materials for their tables on Grand Tours, Morris collected his marble pieces during his time in the navy. In 1802, after being commissioned captain of the ship Adams in 1798, Morris was commanding a squadron in the Mediterranean during the first Barbary war. During the war, France and Britain paid tribute to the Barbary states, allowing them to have increased Mediterranean trade while other states were open to the attacks of the Barbaries. After the United States became its own country, it did not have the protection of England and was vulnerable to attack (Augustyn). Thus, Morris was in Tripoli to make peace and negotiate with the Barbaries. Unfortunately, he was unsuccessful and in 1803, Thomas Jefferson, the president at the time, relieved him of his command. Historical accounts describe Morris as lacking motivation. Furthermore, his decision to bring his family to the Mediterranean while he was on duty may indicate his lack of focus on the war itself (“The Barbary Wars, 1801-1805”). While his family’s presence may have been a distraction, it did give his wife the opportunity to collect the marble for his beautiful table. 

Although the plaque on the side of the table states it was made in Crete in 1798, this may be only referring to its top. The paper label at the bottom of the table notes the bottom half of the furniture was made by Charles Honoré Lannuier, a French furniture maker who worked in New York city. Therefore, it seems Morris commissioned the top of his table in Crete and paid Lannuier to complete the bottom half of the furniture in America. Morris’ choice in furniture maker reflects his class. Lannuier was a popular craftsman among the elite at the time, famously capitalizing on the wealthy Americans desire for French-inspired furniture (LaChiusa). Overall, the specimen table of Lewis Morris is an interesting glimpse into the life of its owner and the class of elite of which he belonged.

Works Cited

Augustyn, Adam. “First Barbary War.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia 
Britannica, Inc., 7 May 2022, https://www.britannica.com/event/First-Barbary-War. 

“The Barbary Wars, 1801-1805.” The Mariners' Museum : Birth of the U.S. Navy, https://www.marinersmuseum.org/sites/micro/usnavy/06/06a.htm.  

Gowrley, Freya. “Classical Histories, Colonial Objects: The Specimen Table across Time and Space.” British Art Studies, Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art and Yale Center for British Art, 30 Nov. 2021, https://www.britishartstudies.ac.uk/index/article-index/the-specimen-table-across-time-and-space/article-category/article. 

Howard, Jeremy R. “The Role of the Grand Tour.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 26 Aug. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/topic/art-market/The-18th-century#ref1052123. 

LaChiusa, Chuck. “Charles-Honoré Lannuier.” Buffaloah.com, https://buffaloah.com/f/fdesigners/lann/lann.html. 

This blog post by Siobhan Nerz, Bucknell University