Furniture

The Pair of Decorative German Neo-Classical Hand Painted Bedside Tables feature a black and white an interesting painted geometric design. Perfect for holding bedside essentials and ...

A monumental early 20th century jewellers work table in pine timber which would have originally accommodated eight artisans in its utilitarian past. Heavily patinated and bearing the...

This exquisite 1950s French credenza epitomizes mid-century elegance. The piece features four fluted wooden doors crafted from richly stained wood, complemented by a decorative parqu...

Renowned for their innovative, high-quality furniture, Robert Guillerme and Jacques Chambron combined elegant form with straightforward functionality to create their iconic designs. ...

Hermès ,Paris ,part of the “Balcons du Guadalquivir” service. Including : - 6 tea cups - 6 dinner plates 26,5 cm - 6 dessert plates diam. 21.5 cm Brand-new, packaged in original...

This one's for the baseball lovers and luxury collectors. Designed as a limited-edition item, Hermès released these "Herstress" anti-stress balls in the 2000s. With quality always at...

One of a kind single slab suar wood coffee table. We added three mid century style cone legs to this beautiful amorphous slab. Finished with a natural oil revealing the stunning wood...

This is a stunning Murano chandelier featuring a distinctive design inspired by palm leaves. Its central structure consists of green glass leaves, delicately curved and detailed with...

Lofty mid century Japonisme faux bamboo and bamboo canopy bed handcrafted in dramatic form featuring hand decorated chinoiserie lacquer panels on the...

1906 Orotone photograph on glass plate. Signed in negative lower right. A beautiful example of Edward Sheriff Curtis's work, featuring muted colors and a stark silhouette of an Apach...

Designed in 1960 by Sergio Rodrigues, this "Alex" model table is a reference in the designer's style. With its solid wood structure composed of a large central pillar with a square s...

A nice pair of 19th century Swedish Neoclassical armchairs in simple, elecant classical form, minimal carvings re-upholstered in green velvet. Arm hight 23.50" Seat hight 16" Seat si...

Dimensions listed are for the two (2) larger framed pieces; the smaller framed piece measures 3" deep x 40" wide x 25" high. Large impressive collection purchased by me on Nantucket ...

Incredible carved wood storage cabinet by Charles Dudouyt from France, 1940s. Beautiful carved wood circle detail on two front doors with wavy center design. Original lock and key. C...

A remarkable set of six Louis XVI-style armchairs, crafted in France during the 19th century. These fauteuils feature a classic and elegant design, showcasing the refined aesthetic o...

Exquisite pair of authentic Venini wall lights by Carlo Scarpa. Model 'Poliedri'. c1960 Mix of pink and smoke glass. *** These are original 1960s blown glass lights... Not recent!

Oil on canvas, portrait of a lady with a hat late 19th France signed Julie Marest This dazzling painting represents a very beautiful lady in a hat topped with a black feather plume....

A fine Georgian design ‘Chinese Chippendale’ model camelback Sofa. English Early 20th Century, with dense mahogany frame of a lovely colour and patination. Now upholstered in the rar...

A leather and chromed tubular steel “Fabio” lounge chair by Pascal Mourgue for Sedia-Steiner.

Pendant lamp with emispherical double shades in white and violet perspex and white painted aluminum. Metal parts in brushed brass. Good vintage condition: few light scratches on the ...

An elegant, modern, low, round ottoman. Handmade in England. Newly upholstered in a premium, soft, pure gold mohair fabric with solid oak feet. Custom size and fabric options ava...

An original “Papa Bear” chair designed by Danish design master Hans J. Wegner for the furniture maker A.P. Stolen in the 1950s. While Wegner is primarily known for his inventiveness;...

Copper anodised aluminium shade with a painted steel pivoting support resting on a copper plated V shaped brass base.

José Zanine Caldas, unique dining table 'Denuncia', Brazilian hardwood, Brazil, 1970s This remarkable hand-carved table is the handiwork of the Brazilian artist José Zanine Caldas....

Pair of dining chairs, beech, fabric, Italy, 1960s These dining chairs of Italian origin have a strong resemblance to Augusto Savini’s 'Pamplona' chair (1965) and Afra & Tobia Scar...

Studio B.B.P.R. (B.B.P.), sofa, reupholstered in “Teddy Mohair Amethyste 010” by Pierre Frey, stained beech, stained walnut, Italy, design 1939, production 1940s. This sofa, desig...

Rare shape cocoon light. Wonderful patina. circa 1960 In excellent condition. Small defect shown in pictures. Dimensions are for shade diffuser and rose. The drop is adjustable ...

Transform any space with this one-of-a-kind Black and Gold Wood Framed Oval Lenticular Eye—a mesmerizing art piece that blinks as you move! Measuring 6 inches by 9 inches, the beauti...

THE FOSSIL STORE AES Bronze stand series is an excellent example of a double-sided Calycoceras asiaticum ammonite measuring 205mm. Now transformed into ...

Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Simon Gavina, 'Bastiano' lounge chair, leather, walnut, Italy, 1962 This iconic armchair part of the Bastiano line, designed by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Simon...

Unique pair of wood and woven stools in the style of Charles Dudouyt from France, 1940's. Carved bobbin wood legs and original woven rush seats. Original finish shows great age and p...

Rare pair of low back 'Lovö' chairs by Axel-Einar Hjorth. Produced by Nordiska Kompaniet, 1930s. Very good condition, new cushions.

These rare Cantilever vintage Bar Stools chairs are Bauhaus classics and were designed 1926 by Mart Stam and produced by Thonet with the Model name S39 L. They were produced in the 7...

America, 1908 Patinated metal, brass and slag glass. Impressed manufacturer's marks to shade 'Bradley & Hubbard Mfg. Co.' and patent date 'Pat'D Oct. 20.08’. 20.5”dia x 22.5”h Ref. L...

This set of four dining chairs illustrates the vibrant era of Art Deco design, a time period of unmatched creativity and innovative spirit. The captivating blend of bold geometry and...

Rare and unusual Wunderkammer architectural model in miniature, entirely handmade, in balsa wood, depicting the Cathedral of Milan. Original patina. Italy second half of the 19th cen...

An Art Deco ‘Feux d’artifice’ (Fireworks) mahogany and marquetry commode, inlaid with ebony and mother-of-pearl marquetry flowers. Slightly bowed in front, it boasts a stepped top ov...

This vintage sliding door cabinet was crafted in the Early Showa Period '1926-'. This storage cabinet is a stunning example of Japanese vintage furniture, showcasing the timeless be...

A George III Carved Mahogany Sofa With beautifully shaped back, and gently scrolling arms, on carved cabriole legs on brass casters, the mahogany surface perfectly untouched and wit...

A Highly Important Empire Period Rosso Antico Chimneypiece Inset with Specimen Marble Portrait Reliefs of Roman Emperors The carved and veneered surround comprising a moulded shelf supported by a bold dentil cornice, above an inverted breakfront frieze carved with a central triglyph panel, flanked by a pair of rosettes carved in shallow relief, the frieze mounted with six carved hardstone profile portrait medallions of Roman Emperors, the stop-fluted jambs raised on moulded footblocks; in excellent condition with small restorations commensurate with age and use; the pale inclusions in the stone naturally formed. This spectacular neoclassical marble chimneypiece is carved from Rosso antico, the frieze inset with six portrait reliefs of Roman Emperors, each carved in marmo giallo on a bardiglio background, five variously incised: VESPASIANUS, TIBERIVS, OTHO, JULIUS CAESAR, TITUS. Rosso antico (marmor taenarium) is first recorded as being quarried in 1700 BC at Akra Tainaron (Cape Matapan), Greece.¹ The majority of this stone, however, was extracted throughout the Roman period, when it was one of the most coveted materials for carving due to its rich red colouring and association with highly prized Egyptian ‘Imperial’ Porphyry.² Rosso antico was chosen in antiquity for portrait busts, notably depicting Bacchic subjects such as Dionysus and satyrs due to its rich red wine colour which symbolised conviviality whilst conveying the education and cultivated taste of the owner.³ In the Renaissance, Rosso antico was also used for architectural detail on important buildings, such as the steps leading up to the choir in the medieval church of S. Prassede, and the large columns at the entrance to the Camera dell'Aurora.⁴ In 121 AD, G. Suetonius Tranquillus, secretary to Emperor Hadrian, wrote a biographical history of the first twelve emperors of Rome entitled De vita Caesarum (The Twelve Caesars). A Renaissance edition of Tranquillus’ work was published in 1470, followed by further reprints and translations into all the main European languages. Many of these were illustrated with prints of emperors taken from coins and statues, or imagined by the artist based on Tranquillus’ accounts. These interpretations were copied, in turn, by Renaissance designers for medals, Limoges enamels, and busts, as well as paintings such as the Eleven Caesars, a series of eleven half-length portraits of Roman emperors made by Titian in 1536–40 for Federico II, Duke of Mantua.⁵ These paintings were later given to King Charles I, before being passed in the Commonwealth to the Kings of Spain. Unfortunately, the series was destroyed in the catastrophic fire of 1734 at the Royal Alcazar of Madrid, and is now only known through copies and engravings.⁶ From the middle of the 17th century until the end of the 18th century, there was an insatiable demand for marble carvings, often sold as Roman or assembled from ancient fragments, thus perpetuating the reverence for antiquity that was the quintessence of the Grand Tour. Rosso antico was in extremely short supply, even after the ancient quarries at Skutari were rediscovered in 1830, and remained one of the most highly valued of all stones. Described in 1776 as ‘dark red; scarce and dear’, it was mostly used for small objects such as Grand Tour desk ornaments, inevitably using material re-cut from classical fragments, due to its rarity, as was the case with porphyry.⁷ The portrait roundels on this chimneypiece are typical of those produced in Rome and Florence in hardstones, semi-precious stones, gold, silver, bronze, and mother-of-pearl, which, being easily transportable, would be taken home from the Grand Tour to be mounted within wooden, gilded or brass frames, as fashion dictated.⁸ A group of gold portraits of Caesars, dating from around 1660, are in the Museo Nazionale del Bargello in Florence. Images of Roman emperors were not limited to Italy, England and France, however, as examples executed in Deshima for the Dutch East India Company (Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie) show. Medallions depicting Roman emperors, invariably made of black and gold Japanese hiramakie or takamakie lacquer on copper, were produced for the Dutch market at the end of the 18th century. Examples can be found in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.⁹ There are two possible sources for the Imperial profiles on the chimneypiece: the engravings of The Twelve Caesars by Marcantonio Raimondi, or the Imperatorum Imagines by Hubert Golz.¹⁰ The portrait medallions also bear remarkable resemblance to a set of eighteen carved portrait reliefs of Roman Emperors, also of marmo giallo, almost certainly bought by David Ker (1742–1811) of Portavo, Co. Down, on his Grand Tour between 1792–4 in either Florence or Rome. Ker’s diary entry for 17th October 1793 is interesting as it reveals that he was offering his brother a choice of chimneypiece designs, which further supports a Roman origin for the offered example.¹¹ Indeed, fire surrounds incorporating antique fragments had been promoted from the late 1760s by Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720–78), encouraged by Rome-trained architects including Robert Adam (d.1792). One such example, inset with mythological tablets carved from Rosso antico, was acquired by the 9th Earl of Exeter from Piranesi himself for Burghley House.¹² Another can be found at Islington House, Dorset.¹³ A third, inset with giallo antico and Rosso antico, follows Piranesi’s engraved design dated 1769 for a fire surround mounted with three marble portrait reliefs.¹⁴ It should be re-emphasised that Rosso antico was so precious that it was only ever used for small tablets or details rather than an entire chimneypiece, as with the offered example; likewise, while portrait reliefs are occasionally seen on the jambs of Italian surrounds, it is exceptionally rare to see the frieze mounted with a group, especially of this scale: the combination indicates an architectural commission by an extremely wealthy patron. The sophisticated lines of this chimneypiece epitomise the French Empire influence on the Italian states at the turn of the 18th century. This idiosyncratic ‘Roman’ taste is encapsulated by that of Napoleon, who identified with Rome’s Imperial past. Napoleon’s desire to establish a visual link between himself and Roman emperors is demonstrated by the portraits of his court painter, Jacques-Louis David, inspired by portraits of Emperor Augustus. This Imperial taste extended to architecture, furniture and porcelain, the latter two of which are combined in a group of magnificent ormolu-mounted guéridons commissioned in Sèvres between 1803–11, made to immortalise Napoleon’s reign.¹⁵ The second guéridon in the series, the Table des Grands Capitaines (Table of the Great Commanders of Antiquity), commissioned in 1806, is made almost entirely of hard-paste Sèvres porcelain. The top, painted in imitation of sardonyx, is centred by a portrait cameo of Alexander the Great, surrounded by twelve smaller heads of commanders and philosophers from antiquity: Pericles, Scipio Africanus, Pompey, Augustus, Septimus Severus, Constantine, Trajan, Caesar, Mithridates, Hannibal, Themistocles and Miltiades.¹⁶ Louis XVIII presented the table to the Prince Regent (later King George IV) in 1817 as a token of appreciation for Napoleon’s defeat two years earlier, and George IV treasured it so highly that it became part of the ceremonial backdrop for all his state portraits. The table remains in the Royal Collection.¹⁷ This chimneypiece remained, until recently, in the possession of a noble Dutch family, who acquired it from the owners of a bombed Knightsbridge house in the 1940s; unfortunately, its provenance prior to this has been lost. The use of Rosso antico on this scale, inset with these splendid Imperial profile medallions, appears unparalleled. 1. J. B. Grossman, 'Looking at Greek and Roman Sculpture in Stone' (Los Angeles, 2003). Grossman states that this material was ‘...quarried in three places during antiquity: on Cape Tainaron present day Matapan on the Peloponnese of Greece; on Crete; and at the site of Iasos in Asia Minor. 2. L. Lazzarini, ‘Rosso antico and other red marbles used in antiquity: a characterization study’, Marble, Art Historical and Scientific Perspectives on Ancient Sculpture’ (1990), 237–252. C. Gorgoni, L. Lazzarini, P. Pallante, ‘New archaeometric data on Rosso antico and other red marbles used in antiquity, ASMOSIA VI, Interdisciplinary Studies on Ancient Stone’ (2002), pp. 199–206. J. Deér, trans. G.A. Gilhoff, The Dynastic Porphyry Tombs of the Norman Period in Sicily (Cambridge, 1959), p. 144. R. Gnoli, Marmora Romana (Rome, 1988), pp. 187–191. 3. A notable example is a satyr from the Emperor Hadrian's villa at Tivoli, now in the Capitoline Museum, Rome. Another is the head of a satyr in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, accession no. 2006.110. See T. Opper, Hadrian. Empire and Conflict (London, 2008), p. 165, fig. 149. 4. De Luca, Marmi antichi (Rome, 1998), p. 126. Faustino Corsi, Catalogo ragionato d’una collezione di pietre di decorazione (Rome, 1833), p. 93. 5. For related Limoges medallions, see set of ten circular Limoges enamel medallions depicting Roman emperors, en grisaille with gilding, from the workshop of Jacques I Laudin, sold Christie’s London, Fine Renaissance Bronzes and Works of Art, 19 December, 1977, lot 95. 6. See set of drawings sold Sotheby’s London, Of Royal and Noble Descent, 24 February, 2015, lot 184. 7. J. J. Ferber, Raspe’s Travels through Italy in the Years 1771–1772 (London, 1776), p. 218. 8. See Sotheby’s London, Pelham, the Public and the Private, 8 March 2016, lot 75: ‘A set of twelve mother-of-pearl cameos of Roman Emperors, Southern Italian, early 19th century’ 9. Oliver Impey, Christiaan J.A. Jörg, Cynthia Viallé, Japanese Export Lacquer 1580–1850 (Amsterdam, 2005) pp. 48–57, no. 56 & 57. 10. For a further reference, see the candlesticks by Jacques I Laudin in the Waters Art Gallery, illustrated in P. Verdier, Catalogue of the Painted Enamels of the Renaissance (Baltimore, 1967), p. 389, nos. 207 & 208. 11. John Ingamells, A Dictionary of British and Irish travellers in Italy 1701–1800 (London, 1997), pp. 572–3. 12. Oliver Impey, Four Centuries of Decorative Arts from Burghley House (Virginia, 1998), p. 53, fig. 23. 13. Country Life, 12 June, 1997, p. 162, figs. 9–11. 14. A. González-Palacios, Il Tempio del Gusto, Roma e il Regno delle due Sicilie, Vol. II (Milan, 1984), pp. 592–93, p. 260. 15. S. Grandjean, 'Napoleonic Tables...

Pair of Mediterranean red coral branches (Corallium Rubrum), mounted on square-shaped marble bases, with a parallelepiped-shaped central body. The entire body is enriched by a mosaic...

Paul Evans for Paul Evans Studio, ‘Loop’ wall-mounted cabinet, welded copper with applied verdigris patina, steel, brass, painted wood, United States, circa 1968 Made around 1968, t...

It is the original stone top that makes this small chest of three drawers a special find while the serpentine front adds intrigue as well. Please enlarge photos of the top to appreci...

A beautiful French porcelain jewelry box 'hat box' with zebra design, circa late-20th century, France. Box is hand-painted with a gold gilt lid with a rope/tassel and flower rose des...

Combining noble materials with mid-century inspiration, evident in the mobile structure that evokes Mirò paintings and Calder sculptures, this chandelier will be the focal point of ...

A very charming table-lamp by Hoffmann, with a silk shade. Custom-made adjustments of color and finish are possible. Originally manufactured at the Wie...

Early production F300 lounge chair, designed by Pierre Paulin for Artifort. A striking space-age form, with appealing curving planes, constructed of molded fiber...

Vittorio Varo for I.P.E., pair of lounge chairs model 'Cigno, fabric, chrome-plated metal, Italy, 1968. The Italian designer Vittorio Varo created a striking design that adds a vib...

Carousel suspension lamp has a delicate balance of form and function that produces a quiet, modern light ambiance for all to savour, with its Contemporary Art Deco lines. The struct...

This is a superb decorative antique Italian Grand Tour marble Pietra Dura mounted desk paperweight, circa 1880 in date. This splendid rectangular paperweight is exquisitely inlai...

Black-painted iron chair with a modern industrial spirit. Upholstered seat and back. Highly sculptural and solid to sit in. Also available as shown in polished nickel, polished bras...

With a serpentine shaped back and straight seat with loose cushion, out scrolled arms, raised on square section legs with stretchers. A Classic form with colorful hand done needlepoi...

Bring artistic flair to your decor with our hand-painted iron tray, featuring a striking Ikat design. Perfect for adding color and character to coffee tables, shelves, or wall displa...

A rare, sheet silver human face mask with simple relief facial features including large, almond shaped eyes and downturned mouth. Classic stepped pyramid headdress with round, very t...

A very pretty and unusual pair of English gold mounted carved shell cameos of cupid and psyche on English black marble base. Extremely finely carved and clearly conceived as a pair a...

Large, Elegant Italian 18th century style antiqued and etched Venetian / Murano glass mirrors with subtle coloration and dignified form. These exquisite pieces add warmth, depth and ...

1 of 2 pairs of mid-century gilt brass wall sconces with crystal glasses, made by Palwa, Germany, manufactured, circa 1970-1979. High quality and in very good condition. Cleaned and ...

Set of 6 vintage red/brown leather cab chairs designed by Mario Bellini for Cassina 1970s - Italy Good condition Labelled. Dimensions: Height: 82cm/32.28" Seat height: 45cm/17.7...