French-born Alexander Roux’s extravagantly carved arrangement of mirror-backed shelves set atop a side table was made in New York for the display of small decorative objects. Nodding to 18th-century French design, its curved cabriole legs, pronounced C- and S-curves, and lavish naturalistic ornament characterize the Rococo Revival style which was deemed especially appropriate in mid-19th-century formal parlors and reception rooms. This side table belonged to the family of Baltimore newspaper magnate Arunah Abell. It is dated on the basis of a paper label giving the New York address where Roux worked between 1850 and 1857. Several similar examples are known.