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Table of Silence

Table of Silence is a monumental sculpture by Romanian sculptor Constantin Brâncuși. It is located in the Romanian city of Târgu Jiu, in Gorj County, and is part of the Constantin Brâncuși Sculptural Ensemble together with the Endless Column and the Kiss Gate. Made of tiza, it represents the table before going to fight. The passage of time is symbolized by the chairs, which are shaped like hourglasses. The ensemble is a tribute to the heroes who fell in the First World War, and its three parts are arranged on a west-to-east line measuring 1,275 meters.

Table of Silence surrounded by hourglass-shaped chairs in a park setting.
Table of Silence in Târgu Jiu, with its surrounding chairs set among the trees and lawns of the park.
May 2010 © · CC BY-SA 3.0 ro
Table of Silence stone sculpture with round table and hourglass-shaped stools in a park lined with trees
Table of Silence in Grădina Publică, shown with its round stone table and surrounding stools along a tree-lined avenue.
October 2016 © · CC BY-SA 3.0 ro
The Table of Silence with its circular stone table and surrounding seats along a tree-lined gravel path.
The Table of Silence in Târgu Jiu, shown with its surrounding stone seats beside a shaded avenue.
August 2012 © Miehs Cristian-Mihail · CC BY-SA 4.0
Table of Silence stone table with hourglass-shaped stools along a gravel path in a park
Table of Silence shown with its surrounding stone stools in a park setting.
© · CC BY-SA 3.0

Identification

TitleTable of Silence
German titleDer Tisch des Schweigens
TypeMonumental sculpture
Original titleMasa tăcerii

Historical context

Creation period1935–1938

Creator

ArtistConstantin Brâncuși
Artist nationalityRomanian
Artist residence at time of creationParis
Artist workshop location at time of creationParis

Discovery and provenance

DedicationA homage to the heroes fallen in the First World War
Commemorated eventFallen soldiers of the first Battle of the Jiu Valley in October 1916, especially the fighting in and around Târgu Jiu on 27 October during World War I
Part of ensembleThe Constantin Brâncuși Sculptural Ensemble (Calea Eroilor / The Road of Heroes)
Related works in commissionThe Gate of the Kiss; The Endless Column
Commissioned byCommunist Women's League of Gorj

Physical characteristics

CompositionTwo large cylindrical stone discs forming a table, with twelve stone hourglass-shaped stools arranged in a circle around it
Upper disc diameter2.15 m
Upper disc height43 cm
Lower disc diameter1.60 m
Lower disc thickness45 cm
Stool diameter45 cm
Stool arrangementCircle, evenly distributed about 1 m from the table

Materials

Production materialLimestone
MaterialTransylvanian travertine from Banpotoc

Technique

Production siteStone workshops in Deva

Appearance

SymbolismThe stools symbolize hourglasses

Iconography and meaning

Depicted subjectThe table before going to fight
InterpretationEverything arises in silence

Location and ownership

Current locationTârgu Jiu, Gorj district, Romania, at the western end of the split park near the Jiu River
Part of siteCalea Eroilor (The Road of Heroes)
Ensemble layoutThe three pieces are arranged in a line from west to east
Total layout length1,275 meters

History and restoration

Original stool arrangementThe stools were originally symmetrically arranged in pairs around the smaller table, about 40 cm away
Later modificationBrâncuși had a second stone disc made and placed on the original table, creating the current form
1938 reactionWhen Brâncuși returned to Târgu Jiu in 1938, he demanded the inscription and decorations be removed
1937 alterationAfter Brâncuși exhibited the work in 1937 and returned to Paris, city leaders carved an explanatory lead-filled inscription with the sculptor's name and round depressions into the top surface
Original formInitially only the lower stone disc formed the table

Significance

UNESCO World Heritage inscriptionInscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2024
UNESCO reference numberGJ-III-s-B-09463

Other

Associated parkA park over one kilometer long, planned by the artist for the originally intended 12 sculptures; today only fragmentarily preserved
Photographic works titleLa Table du silence
Brâncuși's role as photographerHe also worked as a photographer
Presentation in photographsStaged photographically and transformed through the inclusion of light and space
Artistic effect in photographsSome image artworks derived from the sculptures became independent works of art through defamiliarization
Repository of photographsCentre Pompidou in Paris, among others
Banpotoc noteBanpotoc was incorporated into Hărău in 1966