Antique Large Ormolu Mounted Walnut & Marquetry Serpentine Credenza 19th C

This is a superb antique Victorian ormolu mounted burr walnut and king wood floral marquetry inlaid credenza, circa 1860 in date.

The shaped top above a pair of panel doors inlaid with flowers and urns, flanked by glazed doors with shelf interior and raised on a shaped plinth base.

The entire piece highlights the unique and truly exceptional pattern of the book matched burr walnut veneers, and it has been enriched by the beautiful boxwood line inlay, king wood crossbanding and floral marquetry decoration.

The central doors open to reveal a spacious interior with plenty of storage space for drinks, glasses, crockery, etc. They elegant ormolu decorative mounts including anthemion and masques, raised on a shaped plinth base.

Its attention to detail and lavish decoration are certain to draw the eye wherever you choose to place it in your home.

Condition:

In excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned, polished and waxed in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation.

Dimensions in cm:

Height 111 cm x Width 205 cm x Depth 49 cm

Dimensions in inches:

Height 3 foot, 8 inches x Width 6 foot, 9 inches x Depth 1 foot, 7 inches

'Burr Walnut' refers to the swirling figure present in nearly all walnut when cut and polished, and especially in the wood taken from the base of the tree where it joins the roots. However the true burr is a rare growth on the tree where hundreds of tiny branches have started to grow. Burr walnut produce some of the most complex and beautiful figuring you can find.

Marquetry

is decorative artistry where pieces of material (such as wood, pewter, brass or silver) of different colours are inserted into surface wood veneer to form intricate patterns such as scrolls or flowers.

The technique of veneered marquetry had its inspiration in 16th century Florence. Marquetry elaborated upon Florentine techniques of inlaying solid marble slabs with designs formed of fitted marbles, jaspers and semi-precious stones. This work, called opere di commessi, has medieval parallels in Central Italian "Cosmati"-work of inlaid marble floors, altars and columns. The technique is known in English as pietra dura, for the "hardstones" used: onyx, jasper, cornelian, lapis lazuli and colored marbles. In Florence, the Chapel of the Medici at San Lorenzo is completely covered in a colored marble facing using this demanding jig-sawn technique.

Techniques of wood marquetry were developed in Antwerp and other Flemish centers of luxury cabinet-making during the early 16th century. The craft was imported full-blown to France after the mid-seventeenth century, to create furniture of unprecedented luxury being made at the royal manufactory of the Gobelins, charged with providing furnishings to decorate Versailles and the other royal residences of Louis XIV. Early masters of French marquetry were the Fleming Pierre Golle and his son-in-law, André-Charles Boulle, who founded a dynasty of royal and Parisian cabinet-makers (ébénistes) and gave his name to a technique of marquetry employing brass with pewter in arabesque or intricately foliate designs.

King wood

is a classic furniture wood, almost exclusively used for inlays on very fine furniture. Occasionally it is used in the solid for small items and turned work, including parts of billiard cues, e.g., those made by John Parris. It is brownish-purple with many fine darker stripes and occasional irregular swirls. Occasionally it contains pale streaks of a similar colour to sapwood.

The wood is very dense and hard and can be brought to a spectacular finish. it turns well but due to its density and hardness can be difficult to work with hand tools. It also has a tendency to blunt the tools due to its abrasive properties.

Ormolu - (from French 'or moulu', signifying ground or pounded gold) is an 18th-century English term for