What is a French bijouterie display table?

A French bijouterie table, also known as a vitrine table, is a small glazed display table designed in 18th and 19th century France to display jewellery, medals, and small decorative items securely under glass.

What materials and construction techniques are traditional for 19th-century bijouterie tables?

Traditional construction incorporates fine cabinet timbers such as kingwood or rosewood veneers, cast and chased gilt-bronze (ormolu) mounts, glazed panels, and velvet or silk interior linings.

How can one identify authentic 19th-century French vitrine tables?

Authentic period pieces exhibit hand-chased metal mounts with threaded bolt fastenings, hand-cut joinery, period lock mechanisms, and uneven patination or gilding wear consistent with age.

How can a French bijouterie table be styled in a modern interior?

Position the table as a standalone accent piece in a drawing room, hallway, or bay window, utilizing the internal glazed compartment to display curated personal collections or historic objects.

How should one care for and preserve an antique glazed display table?

Dust wood and metal surfaces using a dry microfiber cloth, clean glass with a non-ammonia spray applied to a cloth rather than directly to the frame, and keep away from direct sunlight to protect the fabric interior.

for sale €2,457 $2,667

£2,100

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French Bijouterie Table

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19th Century Display Table

Rococo Revival Display Table

Id #SA1186057

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Antique French Ormolu Mounted Bijouterie Display Table 19th Century

Name: Antique French Ormolu Mounted Bijouterie Display Table 19th Century
Brand: Antique
SKU: SA1186057
Price: 2100 GBP
Availability: InStock

19th century

For Sale by Regent Antiques

Description

This is a beautiful antique French ormolu mounted King Wood Louis Revival bijouterie table, circa 1860 in date.

The shaped top fitted with glass and the frieze with glass panels, the whole with elaborate decorative ormolu mounts and lined with burgundy velvet. It is raised on tapering cabriole legs applied with exceptional foliate and torch design ormolu mounts that terminate in ormolu sabots.

Complete with working lock and key.

Bijouterie tables were designed to store and display a collection of small valuable items, they are also called table vitrines, and display tables.

Condition:

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

Dimensions in cm:

Height 78 cm x Width 93 cm x Depth 63 cm

Dimensions in inches:

Height 2 foot, 7 inches x Width 3 feet, 1 inch x Depth 2 feet, 1 inch

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 - Gilt Bronze (from French 'or moulu', signifying ground or pounded gold) is an 18th-century English term for applying finely ground, high-carat gold in a mercury amalgam to an object of bronze.The mercury is driven off in a kiln leaving behind a gold-coloured veneer known as 'gilt bronze'.

The manufacture of true ormolu employs a process known as mercury-gilding or fire-gilding, in which a solution of nitrate of mercury is applied to a piece of copper, brass, or bronze, followed by the application of an amalgam of gold and mercury. The item was then exposed to extreme heat until the mercury burned off and the gold remained, adhered to the metal object.

After around 1830 because legislation had outlawed the use of mercury other techniques were used instead. Electroplating is the most common modern technique. Ormolu techniques are essentially the same as those used on silver, to produce silver-gilt..

Our reference: A4866

Physical Dimensions

Height

78cm (30.71")

Width

93cm (36.61")

Depth

63cm (24.80")

Declaration

Regent Antiques has dated this French Ormolu Bijouterie Table to the 1860s.

Reference Numbers

Sellingantiques Reference

SA1186057

Dealers Internal Reference

A4866

Description

This is a beautiful antique French ormolu mounted King Wood Louis Revival bijouterie table, circa 1860 in date.

“

The shaped top fitted with glass and the frieze with glass panels, the whole with elaborate decorative ormolu mounts and lined with burgundy velvet.

Regent Antiques

It is raised on tapering cabriole legs applied with exceptional foliate and torch design ormolu mounts that terminate in ormolu sabots.

fig 1. A 19th-century French bijouterie display table featuring cabriole legs, ornate gilt-bronze ormolu mounts, glass sides, and a red velvet lined interior. — fig 1. Antique French Ormolu Mounted Bijouterie Display Table 19th Century

Complete with working lock and key.

Bijouterie tables were designed to store and display a collection of small valuable items, they are also called table vitrines, and display tables.

Condition:

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

fig 2. A 19th-century French bijouterie display table featuring cabriole legs, ornate gilt-bronze ormolu mounts, glass sides, and a red velvet lined interior. — fig 2. Antique French Ormolu Mounted Bijouterie Display Table 19th Century

Dimensions in cm:

Height 78 cm x Width 93 cm x Depth 63 cm

Dimensions in inches:

Height 2 foot, 7 inches x Width 3 feet, 1 inch x Depth 2 feet, 1 inch

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.

fig 3. A 19th-century French bijouterie display table featuring cabriole legs, ornate gilt-bronze ormolu mounts, glass sides, and a red velvet lined interior. — fig 3. Antique French Ormolu Mounted Bijouterie Display Table 19th Century

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.

fig 4. A 19th-century French bijouterie display table featuring cabriole legs, ornate gilt-bronze ormolu mounts, glass sides, and a red velvet lined interior. — fig 4. Antique French Ormolu Mounted Bijouterie Display Table 19th Century

Ormolu - Gilt Bronze (from French 'or moulu', signifying ground or pounded gold) is an 18th-century English term for applying finely ground, high-carat gold in a mercury amalgam to an object of bronze.The mercury is driven off in a kiln leaving behind a gold-coloured veneer known as 'gilt bronze'.

fig 5. A 19th-century French bijouterie display table featuring cabriole legs, ornate gilt-bronze ormolu mounts, glass sides, and a red velvet lined interior. — fig 5. Antique French Ormolu Mounted Bijouterie Display Table 19th Century

The manufacture of true ormolu employs a process known as mercury-gilding or fire-gilding, in which a solution of nitrate of mercury is applied to a piece of copper, brass, or bronze, followed by the application of an amalgam of gold and mercury. The item was then exposed to extreme heat until the mercury burned off and the gold remained, adhered to the metal object.

fig 6. A 19th-century French bijouterie display table featuring cabriole legs, ornate gilt-bronze ormolu mounts, glass sides, and a red velvet lined interior. — fig 6. Antique French Ormolu Mounted Bijouterie Display Table 19th Century

After around 1830 because legislation had outlawed the use of mercury other techniques were used instead. Electroplating is the most common modern technique. Ormolu techniques are essentially the same as those used on silver, to produce silver-gilt..

Our reference: A4866