M.S. Rau Tables

This exquisite pair of hand-painted English satinwood parlor tables is embellished with intricate detailing inspired by floral and classical themes—hallmarks of the esteemed Sheraton...

This exquisite Regency-period rosewood table is distinguished by its remarkable specimen top. An exceptional relic of natural history, the tabletop, created circa 1840, bears nearly ...

This exceptionally important Roman Empire pavement forming this table's top would have lined the walkways of only the most important buildings. Using a rare and ancient form of pietre dure known opus sectile, each hardstone would have been precisely measured and inlaid by artisans to create the resulting geometric pattern. Highly expensive and labor intensive, monumental opus sectile pavements such as this were reserved for the grand entrances of only the most significant public buildings, like the Curia of the Roman Senate, the Arch of Septimius Severus...

This Louis XIV-style French table features an intricately carved giltwood base with an exceptional level of detail, providing an extraordinary example of the opulent style. The base ...

This remarkable and historic parcel-gilt electroplate table hails from renowned British firm Elkington & Co., the distinguished company that i...

This magnificent games table incorporates some of the rarest English marbles, hardstones and fossil specimens, including Derbyshire Blue John. The scarcity of these coveted stones makes an inlaid circular piece of this size a truly exceptional and unique masterpiece. The tabletop, with its fabulous specimens surrounding an Ashford marble chessboard...

A masterpiece of both cabinetmaking and mechanical engineering, this one-of-a-kind expanding table was crafted by the renowned cabinetmaker Samuel Hawkins of London for the Great Exhibition of 1851. Diminutive in size, the fascinating table was designed as a model to demonstrate Hawkins’ innovative patent screw movement to visitors of the Exhibition – six million people in total over five months. It was exhibited again a century later at the Victoria & Albert Museum during the Festival of Britain, an event intended “to symbolise two main qualities of the national character: realism and strength on the one hand, and, on the other, independence and imagination” (Catalogue of the Exhibition, 1951, p.117). To this day, the miniature masterpiece demonstrates the quest of English furniture makers to combine technical innovation with superb craftsmanship. Displaying exceptional ingenuity, Hawkins’ wind-out screw mechanism allowed one to extend the table’s base to accommodate concentric leaves with the simple crank of a handle. It is based on the inventive expanding table originally designed by Robert Jupe in 1835, which used a swivel mechanism to separate sections of the tabletop and allow for segmented leaves to be inserted. Hawkins’ tabletop, on the other hand, extends outwards directly from the center in order to accommodate additional leaves around its diameter. This unique design allowed the mechanism to also smoothly operate on rectangular tables, which could be wound out from the middle to allow for more table space. Hawkins was not alone in his endeavor to combine the technical merits of engineering and mechanics with the most artful pursuit of cabinetmaking. The first half of the 19th century saw a prolific increase in the popularity of applying new ideas to traditional furniture principles, which allowed furniture to serve many purposes. The resulting “patent” furniture was practical and refined, though few were as innovative as Hawkins’ prodigious design. Carved with the year of the Exhibition on the beautifully designed pedestal base, the table is a testament to the significance of this innovation. The model is mentioned in detail in the catalog of the Great Exhibition of 1851, the first international exhibition of industry, manufacturing, and science. Held at London’s dazzling Crystal Palace, its visitors were treated to exhibits from around the globe, including feats of engineering, innovations in industry, and marvels of design. Queen Victoria herself was a frequent visitor, along with her husband, Prince Albert, and others including Charlotte...

This handsome Regency library desk is crafted of rich mahogany and features the straightforward design prevalent in England during the early 19th ...

Form and function converge in this exceptional Louis XV-style bureau plat graced with eight elegant Sèvres Porcelain plaques. Framing these delightful, hand painted floral and fowl-themed plaques is a network of exquisite gilt bronze. Supporting the leather-topped table are graceful cabriole legs, a hallmark of fine Louis XV taste, that are crowned by gilt bronze caryatids and terminate in gilt bronze mounts. What makes this desk even more stunning is the inclusion of three concealed drawers that are opened only by the spring-loaded secret release mechanisms located underneath. The first porcelain mounted furnishings appeared sometime in the mid-18th century in the shops of the foremost Parisian art dealers. These furnishings successfully, and quite beautifully, married renowned Sèvres Porcelain with fine furniture to create a new segment of the decorative arts that appealed greatly to the aristocracy, especially women. The Duchesse de Mazarin, Comtesse du Barry, Marie-Antoinette and the Grand Duchess Maria...

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...

Pietra Paesina is one of the most scarce and wondrous stones on earth, and the surface of this exceptional early 19th-century center table is inset with...

This English mahogany console table is a rare period example of the elaborate Chinese Chippendale style. A study in symmetry and balance, this table combines the restrained elegance of the Georgian period with the intricate artistry of the Orientalist aesthetic. Elaborate fretwork on the frieze and pierced supports are beautifully matched by fluted legs. As a whole, it represents a stunning marriage of Chippendale craftsmanship and Eastern design. Small, decorative tables such as this represented the great influence that China had in European decorative and Fine art beginning in the 1600s. Since the Restoration of the monarchy, there had been a growing interest in Chinese-style design forms in England. Called "chinoiserie" in French, this style had become extremely popular by the middle of the 18th century, and designers such as Thomas Chippendale eagerly adopted the elaborate Eastern designs. By the mid-1750s, the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens were sporting "Chinese Pavilions...