1904 AD.A handsome white marble side table (mensae vasariae) supported by three trapezohedron legs in the form of a fierce griffin's head on a paw with claws. In ancient Rome, tables of this type were a sign of wealth and refined taste. Mostly they were used to display vases and other examples of outstanding craftsmanship. Cf. Christie's, Live Auction 15492, The Collector: Silver & 19th Century Furniture, Sculpture & Works of Art, 14 November 2018, Lot 739. Signed and dated by Moses Jacob Ezekiel (1844-1917) an American sculptor of Jewish origin. He attended military college at the Virginia Military Institute and later served as a Confederate officer in the American Civil War. After the war, he decided to become a sculptor. In 1869 he went to Europe and became a student at the Prussian Academy of Art in Berlin. He then left for Italy where he spent the rest of his life working in Rome where he obtained great success and numerous decorations from Kings Humbert I and Victor-Emmanuel III. Among his well-known works is the bronze statue Virginia Mourning the Dead, erected in 1903 at the Virginia Military Institute. He also designed the Confederate monument at Arlington National Cemetery. Louisville's Thomas Jefferson statue and Johnson's Island Confederate Prison and Cemetery soldier figure are also his creations.Size: L:760mm / W:420mm ; 86.45kgProvenance: Ex French Collection, Paris Gallery, previously with Oliver Lasseron Auction House, Paris.