On the third Thursday of each month, Rienzi highlights a great work of art in the Rienzi Collection. Gallery Talks are given by museum curators, conservators, educators, and librarians.

Caroline Cole, curatorial assistant for Rienzi, discusses a Pembroke table (c. 1780) that is on view in Rienzi’s drawing room. Thomas Sheraton, the renowned 18th-century London cabinetmaker, stated that Pembroke was a name “given to a kind of breakfast table, from the name of the lady who first gave order for one of them.” The reference may have been to Elizabeth, Countess of Pembroke, who was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Charlotte. The light drop-leaf table was designed for easy mobility and was often used next to a bedside or settee. 

Admission is free. Reservations are encouraged. Please call 713. 639.7800.