Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-12-30
A TABLE or FLESH.
The Uncanny Hsndiwork of an Italian
Savant--ft Drives al Owner TO Suicide.


piece Of furniture ever conceived in tn
mind of man, will be shown ID next year
exhibition of the Franklin Institute,
Or. Mark l.. Nardyz, OF this city, is sue
cessful in obtaining the loan OF il from
Palazzo Pitt, Florence, for that purpose
The table is the work of Giuseppe
Ssgatti, who was several years in making
IL, The material was drawn from per
haps a hundred human corpses. 10 con
sists of a circular top resting upon De-
destal with four supports representing
claws. The face OF the table is ABOUT
three feet in diameter. To the uninitlated
spectator it would appear fantastic,
hut artistic. work IN marble, for II Is
highly polished and looks like stone out
when he is told that the hearts,
Iivers, muscles and lntestlnes
OF the human body form the entire COM
position Of the gruesome object, the Visl-
tor shudders; but there Is an attractive
ness In It's very gh3stlness which leads
him TO examine 10 the more closely. The
Pitt Palace contains, without exception,
the finest collection Of paintings in Italy,
ineluding some of the best works OF Ra-
phael Michael Angelo, MurrlllO. COrre-
&iO and others. Its art treasures COM
prise only a small portion Of its riches,
f,ut 1t must be confessed that no chamber
OF horrors contains anything approaching
Sagatus table in it's capacity to make
flesh creep.
The weird craftsman is dead these many
years. The table, by which be will al
ways be remembered, was completed half
century ago. and after passing through
Nne hands of three individual owners, the
last of whom committed suicide over ii,
Il was secured Tor the PalazzO.
HOW THE TABLE WAS MADE.
sagatti spent several years in perfect
3ng a system OF Detriiaction and succeed
ed in discovering process whereby the
natural animal reaction IN corpse after
death could be changed to mineral reac-
zion by first securing immunity from
decay by well-known embalming pro-
cess. and afterward immersing the
Fbody in a bath where it absorbed silicic
particles. For the purpose OF
practical illustration OF the method
and its results ne set about making the
liable. The cOrpses necessary for the pur-
10se were obtained from one Of the hospi
aals. The intestines were used in the con-
,structiOn of the ornamental pedestal, and
having been pressed into shape, we're
IpetTihed. The claws OF the table were
formed from the hearts, liVers and lungs,
which still retain the appearance OF live
flesh. The leaf of the table was composed
of the larger muscles Of the body artistl-
eally arranged together to form the de-
sired effect. The table was intended to
be mighty ornamental, and, though
nothing was to be used in its
construction hut parts Of the human
body, the mind that first conceived
d. was not at loss 10 find means Of orDa-
mentati0n. A hundred pairs Of eyes or
more and as many pairs OF ears were pc
4l6ed and artistically arranged around
the edges. The effect was the most
blood-cuFdling that could be imagined.
The process succeeded in preserving the
eyeballs in their natural state, so that
after polishing they retained their color
and general ante-mortem appearance
with an intensified brilliance. This com
pleted the task OF the ssVaut. he was
proud Of the result Of his labors. The
test of his process ofpetrifactiOn was emf
nently successful. He communicated
his method to the medical world, but
naturally il never became generally
adopted, though it was well understood
by surgeons and physicians.
ONE OWNERS SUICIDE.
There is a curious story attached to the
Remarkable piece Of furniture. Before it
was deposited Ia the PalaZzO Pitti it was
in possession of a FlOrentine gentleman
named GiacOmo Rlccabocca. 1t was the
centratpiece Of furniture in his drawing
room, and he delighted 10 exhibit it to his
friends, at first speaking Of it only as a
Erotesque piece of handicratt, the work
of mad sculptor, and subsequently, at
the ehOur. when graveyards yaWn,"
turning down the lights to add
effect TO the recital of its real
history. One Christmas he had several
guests from a distance. Early in the eve
ming they sat around the CHASTITY table
and began a game of ecarte. Play was
heavy, and it continued for several hours.
The wax tapers cast dim light over the
scene, and caused the eyes of stone which
caught its rays to assume a CHASTITY gilt
ter. RlccabOeca was a heavy loser. He
was noticed to be very pale, often shud-
dered, and repeatedly wiped his brow, on
which the cold sweat was plainly visible.
He gave less attention TO the cards than
any of the others, and frequently turned
his gaze upon two of the eyes at the edge
Of the table opposite him.
At last he rose and paced the room eX-
Citedly. But the ornamentation of the
liable seemed to fasclnate him, and he
kept his looks fixed on it. At last he sat
down and, despite the advice Of his
friends, who could not understand what
was the matter, insisted on resuming
play. STILL his eyes we're fixed on the
ehastly rim of the table. He bet his
money recklessly and played his cards as
Carelessly.
''Change your seat; that one ia I'M
aucky," said one Of the guests.
mo, cannOt,v was the reply, in a
plaintiVe tone, indicative Of much suffer-
kng.1
The guest covered the horrible ewes on
the table with his arms, but RiccabOcca
pleaded for him to uncover them, and
began talking excitedly.
HIS LAST TELLING or THE STORY.
II have not yet told you the truth about
this table," he said. perhaps YOU will
not believe me. Those parts Of the human
body which you see and fancy to be the
fantastic work OF a sculptor are not
natural stone. This claw ls not Of mar
bic. 1t is the heart Of a woman turned TO
stone. Those eyes are not OF glass. They
are Vttrited eyes OF men. Tonight, SIT
ting here, those two eyes became brilliant
with the light OF life and fixed their gaze
on me. They burned into my inmOst be-
ing, but was 50 fascinated that 1 could
not look away. Their uncanny glitter
seems 10 reach my very soul. They will
affect me through eternity. l cannot
stand II. They will drive me mad"
he seized an old dagger from where il
hung on the wall. Before any OF his
guests could interfere to prevent his de-
sign be plunged IL In his breast and fell
dying in the arms OF his friends.
y escape them at last" We're his last
words. The blood yelling up in his throat
chOked further uttprauce and he law dead