Vintage Ornate Cut Glass & Ormolu Centrepiece Dish 20th Century

This is an elegant antique Old Sheffield plate and cut glass centrepiece with four sweeping branches, circa 1820 in date. It has a small decorative cut glass bowl on each of the fou...

This is an impressive and highly decorative French ormolu tazza, mid-19th century in date. It features twin handles to either side and the centre is inset with a beautiful Limoges...

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...

This is a fine antique French Samson porcelain centrepiece, Circa 1860 in date. The octagonal shaped centrepiece features a colourful relief body decorated with flower sprays and...

A beautiful and most decorative French 19th century Louis XVI st. ormolu and Baccarat crystal centerpiece bowl. The centerpiece is raised by an elegant circular mottled base with a f...

A very elegant and high quality French 19th century Belle Epoque period Louis XVI st. Ormolu and Baccarat Crystal centerpiece. The oval shaped centerpiece is raised on a reeded base ...

An elegant French 19th century Louis XVI st. ormolu and Baccarat crystal centerpiece. The centerpiece is raised by a square bas...

French, 20th century. An antique compote with cut glass geometric panels to the bowl and faceted stem. The foot is mounted with a bronze stepped ring. Marked with numbers to the bro...