This is a beautiful antique French Louis XV Revival ormolu mounted king wood, burr walnut and floral marquetry shaped rectangular console / card table, circa 1870 in date.
The shaped top has banded marquetry inlay encompassing a black lacquered ground with exquisite floral marquetry bouquet of country flowers in a classical vase, with a stunning gilt bronze border.
It has decorative ormolu cast masque bosses to the sides and is raised on serpentine legs terminating in leafy ormolu sabots.
The hinged top opens to reveal a blue baize lined interior for playing cards framed with exquisite floral marquetry decoration.
It is a really superb piece which is sure to get lots of attention wherever it is placed.
Condition:
In excellent condition having only been beautifully cleaned, polished and waxed in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation.
Dimensions in cm:
Height 77 cm x Width 97 cm x Depth 49 cm - Closed
Height 75.5 cm x Width 97 cm x Depth 97 cm -
...Open
Dimensions in inches:
Height 2 foot, 6 inches x Width 3 foot, 2 inches x Depth 1 foot, 7 inches - Closed
Height 2 foot, 6 inches x Width 3 foot, 2 inches x Depth 3 foot, 2 inches - Open
Marquetry
is decorative artistry where pieces of material 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.
Our reference: A4699
Internal Reference: A4699
Antique ID Number (AIDN): SA1167824
Dateline of this antique is 1870
Height is 77cm (30.3inches)Width is 97cm (38.2inches)Depth is 49cm (19.3inches)
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