19th Century French Ormolu Mounted Onyx Marble & Enamel Centrepiece c.1880

Antique 19th Century Austrian rare and unusual solid silver-gilt & enamel rock crystal dish. Enamelled with putti and pierced floral decoration, the frame set with blue cabouchon lap...

Antique 19th Century French Louis XV style mantel clock, a captivating piece fashioned from Sevres style porcelain and adorned with ormolu accents. Atop the clock rests a striking 'b...

Antique late-19th century French Imari style porcelain vase mounted on ormolu. The cylindrical body fitted with a ormolu cast floral and scroll ...

Antique early-20th Century German Art Neuveau Impressively large solid silver and enamel centrepiece. The bowl raised on four spreading scroll feet, decora...

A beautiful and most elegant French 19th century Belle Epoque period Onyx, Cloisonné and Ormolu centerpiece planter. This beautiful centerpiece is raised by three Ormolu 'C' scrolled acanthus leaf legs supported on hoof feet. Atop each leg is an Ormolu wing cherub dressed...

An important and most impressive French 19th century Belle Époque Period black Belgian marble, ormolu and cloisonné signed centerpiece. The striking and large scale centerpiece is raised by four pierced ormolu scrolled feet each decorated with a warm blue and a black enamel fillet below the circular black Belgian marble base. The base is decorated with a highly detailed cloisonné band with foliate patterns. With cabochons at each side that are centered by two charming ormolu cherubs, each sitting with their legs crossed and reading a book. The black Belgian marble bowl is decorated with a sensational wide cloisonné band with impressive detail and rich vivid colors, with foliate patterns and ormolu fillets on a warm blue background. At each side is a richly chased handsome handle in the shape of a dog's head. The mottled inside of the bowl has a smooth finish. Signed Prosper Roussel...

This is a superb quality antique Italian Pietra Dura mounted, gilt brass and alabaster table-centre comport dish, dating from the late 19th century. With striking pierced Neo-Gothic chased brass mounts this splendid alabaster dish is set with six highly decorative pietra dura roundels depicting various floral decoration. It is raised on a sturdy circular brass base. It is a sumptuous piece which will make a great statement in any special room. Condition: In really excellent condition, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 8 x width 29 x depth 29 Dimensions in inches: Height 3.1 x width 11.4 x depth 11.4 Pietra Dura is a term for the inlay technique of using cut and fitted, highly polished colored stones to create images. It is considered a decorative art. Pietre dure is an Italian plural meaning "hard rocks" or hardstones; the singular pietra dura is also encountered in Italian. In Italian, but not in English, the term embraces all gem engraving and hardstone carving, which is the artistic carving of three-dimensional objects in semi-precious stone, normally from a single piece, for example in Chinese jade. The traditional convention in English has been to use the singular pietra dura just to denote multi-colored inlay work. However, in recent years there has been a trend to use pietre dure as a term for the same thing, but not for all of the techniques it covers, in Italian. But the title of a 2008 exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Art of the Royal Court: Treasures in Pietre Dure from the Palaces of Europe used the full Italian sense of the term, probably because they thought that it had greater brand recognition. The material on the website speaks of objects such as a vase in lapis lazuli as being examples of "hardstone carving (pietre dure)" The Victoria & Albert Museum in London uses both versions on its website, but uses pietra dura. "A method of inlaying colored marbles or semi-precious stones into a stone base, often in geometric or flower patterns...." Giovanni Montelatici...

A striking and extremely decorative French 19th century Renaissance st. Belle Époque period ormolu, silvered bronze, and black Belgian marble centerpiece. The centerpiece is raised b...