M.S. Rau Side Tables

This Roman Empire mosaic table is an iconic example of Classical history, featuring a 3rd-century mosaic of a Roman Charioteer. More than mere entertainment, the four charioteer team...

Matchless style and high-quality craftsmanship are the hallmarks of Pierre Roussel's furniture, and this exceptional Louis XVI-era commode epitomizes this master craftsman's skill. Crafted of rosewood veneer with a violet wood frame and intricate parquetry inlay, the cabinet's graceful design is also highly practical. The compact form holds two drawers, one of which can be locked for added security. A specimen of marble provides the perfect surface, while bronze ormolu mounts add an additional hint of luxury to the drawers and body. Elegantly curved cabriole legs with bronze ormolu shoes complete this impeccable piece. Known for his superior craftsmanship, Roussel was a highly respected maître ébéniste of the 18th century. His furniture pieces were favoured by grand patrons such as the Prince de Condé and the Princess of Monaco...

Among the most beautiful examples of hardstone artistry that have ever entered our collection, these important Grand Ducal pietre dure console tables are in a class all their own. Their powerful architectural elegance, impressive size and rarity make them two of the finest hardstone masterpieces ever created and quite possibly the greatest pair of pietre dure tables in existence. With their naturalistically rendered flowers and birds, these tabletop panels showcase the particularly fine quality craftsmanship of the Grand Ducal workshops in Florence during the first quarter of the 17th century. Grand Duke Ferdinando I de Medici, one of the most important personages in the annals of art history, established the Grand Ducal Workshop in 1588. The workshop specialized in the art of pietre dure developed from the ancient art of opus sectile, giving rise to the most luxurious and detailed examples of hardstone artistry ever produced. Its patrons were the Popes and Royals of Europe, and the quality of the objects produced in the workshop is without equal. Typically, because of the high level of workmanship the art form requires, pietre dure plaques were crafted in small sizes. The great majority of known examples of pietre dure are a fraction of the size of our grand tables. The combination of pietre dure and extensive use of other rare decorative hardstones such as lapis lazuli and pietra paesina or “ruin marble” meant that these tabletops were surely produced for a wealthy collector. The tables are further distinguished by their superbly carved bases by Andrea Brustolon, known as the “Michelangelo of wood.” Brustolon was a Venetian wood sculptor known for his exuberant and intricate Baroque furniture. His high Baroque style was influenced by his years studying in Rome, where he was exposed to the sculpture of Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Crafted in the early 18th century, these bases display Brusolon’s unmatched talent for both figural and foliate work, combining cupids, masks and oversized scrolling vines for a grand, ornate effect. Similar furnishings by Brustolon are held in museums worldwide, including the Victoria & Albert Museum, the National Museum of Scotland and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, while the Ca' Rezzonico Museum in Venice features an entire room dedicated to the sculptor. For approximately 150 years, these tables were part of the famed Stoneleigh Abbey collection owned by the Lord Leigh family. This renowned English country estate inspired Jane Austen to write Mansfield Park. Lord Leigh eventually sold the tables at Christie’s London in 1962, and the pair have stayed in the collection of the same Florentine family who purchased them from Christie's until we recently acquired them. Our tables are prominently pictured in the important Saul Levy book Il Mobile Veneziano del Settencento. The pietre dure plaques date circa 1625-1650. The decorative tops likely would have originally been sold with a pair of plain stone columns to display them, and Lord Leigh would have commissioned the custom bases from Brustolon circa 1714 when he added the impressive four-story fifteen-bay Baroque West Wing to Stoneleigh Abbey. A similar single Grand Ducal tabletop is in the United Kingdom’s National Trust Collection, and a smaller tabletop resides in Buckingham Palace. The flower and bird panels in our examples relate to the famous Badminton Cabinet...

Fashioned in the Louis XVI style, this elegant kidney-shaped French marquetry side table is decorated with a rich diamond pattern inlay. The natural warm...

Exquisite craftsmanship in wood is coupled with the elegance of Wedgwood in this remarkable side table. Highly similar to one of French cabinetmaker Francois Linke's most enquired-after designs at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, this outstanding piece features bronze gilding, which complements the luminous Ceylon satinwood. A beautiful white marble top harmonizes wonderfully with Wedgwood jasperware...

An array of exotic Caribbean and South American woods are featured in this exceptional 19th-century West Indian games table. Evocative of the designs of the great Scottish furniture...

A luxurious array of rare marbles and hard stones are inset into the playing surface of this William IV-period chess table. The visually appealing arrangement incorporates specimens ...