Uncredited Hispano Artist(s),

likely Elidio Gonzales

Round Table

About 1930s

Pine

22” W x 29¼” H x 22” D with 34” diameter top

About this artwork

The round top of this table is unusual within the universe of Spanish Colonial furniture designs promoted and produced by New Mexico’s New Deal and associated art programs. The state’s Federal Art Project worked in concert with its vocational schools to set up workshops to create the decorative arts needed to furnish numerous newly constructed buildings. The workshops employed artists to manufacture chairs, tables, light fixtures, etc. according to suggested patterns, but this unique table may have been custom-designed and fabricated for the 1938 McKinley County Courthouse by artist Elidio Gonzales. (And perhaps these four chairs were made to match.)

Audio description

This is a small table made from golden honey-colored pinewood, giving it a warm, natural tone. We view it from above and at an angle so the top and two sides of the square base are fully visible. The tabletop is round and its top surface is smooth and free from any decorative embellishments.

The base of the table is square, standing on four legs. Joining each pair of legs are two intricately designed rectangular stretchers, or horizontal wooden supports, one positioned toward the top of the legs and one positioned towards the bottom. The surface of the stretchers is carved with two bands of fine, straight horizontal lines, and each feature three M-shaped cutouts along the bottom edge.

Standing upright between the stretchers are two carved wooden spindles. The spindles have a geometric, layered design. From the bottom: each spindle begins with a tall, narrow triangle, followed by a small circle, then a long, straight shaft that culminates in a half-circle at the top. This design is both elegant and distinctive, contributing a sense of craftsmanship to the piece.

The table’s overall aesthetic is clean and symmetrical, yet highly decorative, conveying a sense of traditional workmanship. It is constructed using the mortise and tenon technique, where joints are fitted together without the use of nails, emphasizing the artistry and skill of its maker.

For more about the style and history of this piece, read the “About this Artwork” section above.

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Gallup’s New Deal art collection consists of over 120 objects created, purchased, or donated from 1933 to 1942 through New Deal federal art programs administered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to support artists during the Great Depression.

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