Martin Guillaume Biennais (1764-1843), Portable table-parasol, Paris, c. 1810

This parasol, with a folding tablet that opens into a tea table, could be dismantled and stored in a chest. It was created by the tabletier (maker of small objects), cabinetmaker and silversmith Martin-Guillaume Biennais, and was designed to accompany the travels of the imperial family, for whom folding beds were also made.