Surtout de table
A surtout de table is a fancy centerpiece for a formal dining table. In French it can mean any centerpiece, but in English it usually refers to a decorative tray with objects on top. It grew from a simple plate or bowl that held candlesticks and condiments to protect the table, into a long, raised, galleried tray made of precious metals, porcelain, glass, or even sugar sculptures. The tray could be divided into sections, and its length could be extended with leaves to fit the table. By the late 18th and 19th centuries, no formal table was complete without one. Today they still appear in very refined dining rooms.
The first known oublier de table appeared around 1692 at the wedding of Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, described as a great silver gilt piece of a new invention. Initially it held candles, condiments, and other items, and helped keep the polished wood from stains. As tastes changed, especially in the first half of the 18th century, the surtout de table became a showpiece. It often took the form of a raised tray filled with matching candelabra, figurines, vases, and epergnes; the gallery sometimes housed candle sconces. Not all were metal—porcelain, glass, and even sugar figures were used—and many tops were mirrors to bounce light onto the display.
Themes varied with the house: hunting lodge scenes, Rococo or Baroque styles for grand palaces, and military subjects for officers’ messes. The 1850s marked a peak in themed designs, with porcelain factories like Meissen offering elaborate figures and scenes, including mountains, livestock, or jungle themes.
Notable examples include works by the Italian goldsmith Luigi Valadier and his son, architect Giuseppe Valadier. A famous long gilt tray by Pierre-Philippe Thomire from around 1818 is at Waddesdon Manor in England. In 1790 George Washington ordered a large ordering of mirrors and ornaments through Gouverneur Morris. Napoleon III commissioned a large silver plate on bronze centerpiece in 1852 titled France distributing wreaths of glory, with a winged Victory and figures of Justice, Concord, Force, and Religion; it survived the 1871 Tuileries fire and today is in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, still on display with its smoke-darkened gilt and dents.
Today, though less common, the surtout de table remains a symbol of formal dining and decorative art.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 13:14 (CET).