St. Patrick’s Day, originally a Roman Catholic feast day, celebrates St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. It evolved into a secular holiday in the 1700s when the first Irish immigrants observed the day with parades in the United States. Did you know that blue was the first color associated with St. Patrick’s Day? Over time, green became the dominant color, associating the holiday with spring, the shamrock, and the beautiful, lush landscape of the Emerald Isle.
A hunt for lucky four-leaf clovers in our galleries turned up this trestle table, designed by Bernard Maybeck. Located in the Architects Gallery on the second floor, this solid white oak library table is accented around the top edges with green trefoils and quatrefoils, which look just like three- and four-leaf clovers. Repeating in the legs and stretcher, the shamrock motif is visible from all angles. This simple yet elegant table may not have been made for the Irish, but the green clover-like design brings an Irish flair to MAACM!
Image: Bernard Maybeck, designer, Trestle table, c. 1923, oak, 30 ½ x 52 x 35 inches. Two Red Roses Foundation Collection.