Spanish Martini Table

Found in Montpellier but originally from Mallorca, this iron martini table is the sort of piece you would have found on a terrace or beside a chair in a Spanish home, the metal darkened soft with age. Tables like this were forged by hand by a local blacksmith, who twisted the stem open into a cage at its middle, curled a ring of scrolls under the top and bent three legs out into arches, all beneath a shallow round top. Its whole purpose was to stand at elbow height beside a chair and hold a single glass, which is how the shape earned its name. Sylvie keeps it beside a chair with a glass of wine and a book resting on top.