Ormolu Furniture
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Ormolu Furniture
Marble, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Victorian Antique Ormolu Furniture
Alabaster, Bronze, Ormolu
20th Century French French Provincial Ormolu Furniture
Ormolu
1990s Russian Ormolu Furniture
Ormolu
Late 20th Century Ormolu Furniture
Ormolu
1880s French Napoleon III Antique Ormolu Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
Mid-20th Century English Louis XVI Ormolu Furniture
Marble, Brass, Bronze, Ormolu
20th Century European Baroque Revival Ormolu Furniture
Ormolu
1870s French Empire Antique Ormolu Furniture
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
1880s French Empire Antique Ormolu Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
1980s French Empire Revival Vintage Ormolu Furniture
Ormolu
19th Century French Renaissance Antique Ormolu Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
Early 1900s English Neoclassical Antique Ormolu Furniture
Ormolu
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Ormolu Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
1980s English Regency Revival Vintage Ormolu Furniture
Brass, Ormolu
1890s English High Victorian Antique Ormolu Furniture
Ormolu
1950s English Vintage Ormolu Furniture
Marble, Ormolu
1830s French Napoleon III Antique Ormolu Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
1980s English Regency Revival Vintage Ormolu Furniture
Brass, Ormolu
1980s English Regency Revival Vintage Ormolu Furniture
Ormolu
Late 19th Century Austrian Victorian Antique Ormolu Furniture
Alabaster, Metal, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Ormolu Furniture
Ormolu
1990s English Ormolu Furniture
Marble, Ormolu
Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Ormolu Furniture
Ormolu
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Ormolu Furniture
Ormolu
19th Century French Louis XIV Antique Ormolu Furniture
Ormolu
19th Century French Late Victorian Antique Ormolu Furniture
Ormolu
19th Century European Grand Tour Antique Ormolu Furniture
Stone, Malachite, Onyx, Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
Mid-19th Century English Antique Ormolu Furniture
Malachite, Ormolu
1890s French Napoleon III Antique Ormolu Furniture
Ormolu, Enamel
Mid-18th Century European Empire Antique Ormolu Furniture
Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Ormolu Furniture
Ormolu
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Ormolu Furniture
Ormolu
19th Century French Edwardian Antique Ormolu Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Ormolu Furniture
Marble, Ormolu
19th Century Antique Ormolu Furniture
Ormolu
Late 19th Century Neoclassical Antique Ormolu Furniture
Ormolu
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Ormolu Furniture
Ormolu
19th Century French Charles X Antique Ormolu Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Ormolu Furniture
Crystal, Ormolu
1870s French Louis XVI Antique Ormolu Furniture
Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Victorian Antique Ormolu Furniture
Alabaster, Bronze, Ormolu
20th Century French Neoclassical Ormolu Furniture
Crystal, Ormolu, Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Ormolu Furniture
Onyx, Enamel, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Neoclassical Antique Ormolu Furniture
Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Ormolu Furniture
Ormolu
Early 19th Century French Charles X Antique Ormolu Furniture
Ormolu
Early 20th Century Belgian Chinoiserie Ormolu Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
20th Century American Louis XV Ormolu Furniture
Metal, Bronze, Ormolu
18th Century French Louis XVI Antique Ormolu Furniture
Marble, Ormolu
1780s French Louis XVI Antique Ormolu Furniture
Marble, Ormolu
Late 18th Century French Neoclassical Antique Ormolu Furniture
Ormolu
1880s French Late Victorian Antique Ormolu Furniture
Marble, Enamel, Ormolu
19th Century English Empire Antique Ormolu Furniture
Marble, Brass, Ormolu
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Ormolu Furniture
Ormolu
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Ormolu Furniture
Ormolu
Mid-20th Century Italian Louis XVI Ormolu Furniture
Marble, Ormolu
20th Century French Regency Ormolu Furniture
Crystal, Bronze, Ormolu
Antique Ormolu Clocks, Lamps and Other Furniture and Decorative Objects for Sale
Antique ormolu furniture and decorative objects can be incorporated into a variety of spaces, and while demand for the material and/or technique was at its peak in Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries, ormolu is still widely loved by designers and collectors today.
What is ormolu?
Ormolu is a brilliant form of decorative trickery. To the untrained eye, ormolu clocks, jewelry boxes and other ormolu furniture and decor look like they're made of solid gold. But those in the know recognize ormolu — or elaborate bronze gilding — as having been essential to French design in the 18th and 19th centuries as a cornerstone of the neoclassical and Empire styles.
“Most commonly, ormolu refers to a bronze object that has been covered with gold, typically 18 karat or 24 karat,” explains Jamie Sinai, director of the antiques specialist Mayfair Gallery, in London. “For that reason, ormolu is sometimes called gilt bronze or, in French, bronze doré. Strictly speaking, however, the term ormolu also denotes the technique of applying gold to a metal.”
“The word comes from the French or moulu, which translates as ‘ground or powdered gold’ — the form the gold takes before it is applied to a metal surface.”
From the court of King Louis XVI to that of Napoleon I, the French elite snapped up furniture mounted with ormolu, as well as sconces, candelabra and table lamps made from the material. “As the French reputation for supreme art, architecture and furniture developed, the craze for ormolu spread across Europe,” adds Sinai.
Today, antiques collectors and interior designers continue to prize ormolu for its extraordinary craftsmanship and history-infused glamour.
“This wondrous material was highly sought after in France as the ultimate luxury. It magically resembled solid gold and sparkled under candlelight,” says Sinai.
Find antique ormolu furniture and decorative objects on 1stDibs.