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Ormolu Furniture

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Material: Ormolu
An Exceptional Suite of Champleve Enamel Ormolu Candelabra by Sevin, Barbedienne
Located in Long Island City, NY, NY
Illuminating Heritage: An Important "Exhibition" Suite of Four Ferdinand Barbedienne and Louis-Constant Sevin Champlevé Enamel and Ormolu Eight-Light Candelabra/Lamps This monumenta...
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19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Bronze, Enamel, Ormolu

Vintage French Empire Style Painted Console Table Mid 20th Century
Located in London, GB
This is a beautiful vintage French Empire style painted gilded and ormolu mounted console table, Mid 20th century in date. The rectangular faux marble top with an ormolu plaque to t...
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1950s French Empire Vintage Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu

Auguste Ledru (French, 1860-1902) Large Naïade Bronze Centerpiece circa 1895
By Auguste Ledru
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Auguste Ledru (French, 1860-1902) Naïade Bronze Centerpiece circa 1895 Figural bronze Centerpiece Representing a nude woman resting on a rock and surmounting two trays designed as ...
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1890s French Art Nouveau Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu

French 19th century Belle Epoque Period Empire st. Bronze and Ormolu lamp
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A high quality and most impressive French 19th century Belle Epoque Period Empire st. patinated Bronze, Ormolu and Rouge Griotte Marble lamp. The stunning candelabra mounted into a l...
Category

19th Century French Empire Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Marble, Bronze, Ormolu

Louis XV style gilt bronze 33-light chandelier
Located in London, GB
Louis XV style gilt bronze 33-light chandelier French, 20th Century Height 156cm, diameter 102cm This beautiful chandelier is crafted from gilt bronze in the Rococo style of Lou...
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20th Century French Rococo Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu, Bronze

Large Antique French Empire Style Bronze and Marble Figural Clock
Located in New York, NY
The large and elegant antique French Empire style bronze and marble figural clock features a rectangular stepped base of dark green marble, raised on four gilt bronze feet cast with ...
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19th Century French Empire Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu, Bronze

Very Large French Louis XV Style Ormolu Mantel Clock
Located in London, GB
Very large French Louis XV style ormolu mantel clock French, circa 1880 Measures: Height 98cm, width 50cm, depth 27cm This fine 19th century clock is unusually large, standing a...
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Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu, Bronze

Antique French Burr Walnut Sevres & Ormolu Mounted Writing Table Desk 19th C
Located in London, GB
This is an elegant antique French ormolu mounted burr walnut writing table, Circa 1870 in date. This lovely shaped top is crafted from the most beautiful burr walnut, with amboyn...
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1870s French Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu

French 18th Century Coromandel and Ormolu Grandfather Clock
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A magnificent large scale French 18th century Coromandel and ormolu Grandfather Clock, by André Furet. This very unique and high quality clock is raised by rectangular base with a li...
Category

18th Century French Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu

Antique French Tortoiseshell & Brass Inlaid Boulle Ormolu 8 Day Clock Paris 1880
Located in Portland, OR
A fine antique French Boulle 8 day mantle clock, Paris, circa 1880. The clock having a cast gilt bronze ormolu finial to the top, modeled as a tazza full of fruit, the case is made o...
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1880s French Louis XVI Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Brass, Ormolu

French Sevres Style Porcelain and Ormolu-Mounted Lyre Clock
Located in Brighton, Sussex
A French Sevres style cobalt blue lyre clock with finely cast ormolu sunburst and floral swagged mounts with jewelled bezel, pretty floral swa...
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19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu

French 19th Century Louis XV Style Ormolu Bronze and Rouge Griotte Marble Clock
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A stunning and high quality French 19th century Louis XV. st. ormolu, patinated bronze and Rouge Griotte marble clock. The clock is raised b...
Category

19th Century French Louis XV Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Marble, Bronze, Ormolu

Antique French Gilt Bronze and Mahogany Bed by Paul Sormani
Located in London, GB
Antique French gilt bronze and mahogany bed by Paul Sormani French, c. 1870 Height 178cm, width 176cm, depth 214cm Decorated with various ormolu (gilt bronze) mounts and beautiful...
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Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu

Belle Époque Period Gilt Bronze and Enamel Clock Set
Located in London, GB
Belle Époque period gilt bronze and enamel clock set French, late 19th century Measures: Clock: Height 46cm, width 23cm, depth 15cm Vases: Height 29cm, diameter 11.5cm Candlestic...
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Late 19th Century French Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu, Bronze, Enamel

Renaissance Style Gilt Bronze and Enamel Mantel Clock
Located in London, GB
Renaissance style gilt bronze and enamel mantel clock French, late 19th century Measures: Height 53cm, width 28cm, depth 23cm This exquisite mantel clock is crafted in the idios...
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Late 19th Century French Renaissance Revival Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu, Bronze, Enamel

Antique Louis Revival Ormolu Mounted Bureau Plat Desk 19th Century
Located in London, GB
This is a gorgeous antique French Louis Revival gilt bronze mounted amaranth bureau plat, Circa 1860 in date. The shaped top has a decorative gilt ...
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1860s French Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu

Large and Very Fine French Empire Period Ormolu and Malachite Mantel Clock
Located in London, GB
Large and very Fine French Empire period ormolu and malachite mantel clock French, circa 1825 Height 89cm, width 57cm, depth 23cm This very Fine, sculpturally decorated mantel clock dates to the first French Empire period, and combines excellent antique clockmaking with Fine Classically-inspired sculpture to make a beautiful decorative piece. Both the backplate and the silvered brass dial, painted with Roman numerals, are stamped 'JACQUIER, A PARIS.' It bears the serial number 146 to upper left hand margin, and features steel moon hands set within a generous gilt laurel wreath cast bezel; it is cased in malachite (a later veneer), and richly adorned with gilt-bronze. The case is surmounted with a gilt-bronze sculpture of the Roman leader Caesar who wears a toga and a laurel crown...
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Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Malachite, Ormolu

A Louis XVI Style Mantel Fine Gilt-Bronze Clock by François Linke
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A Very Fine Gilt-Bronze Clock With A White Marble Base by François Linke. The case signed 'Linke'. This rare example of a clock by François Linke has a twin train eight-day mov...
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19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Marble, Enamel, Ormolu

French Empire Style Lapis and Gilt Bronze Three-Piece Clock Set
Located in London, GB
This beautiful early 20th Century clock set with later lapis veneer will make a stunning Neoclassical style addition to a mantelpiece and a bold i...
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Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Lapis Lazuli, Ormolu, Bronze

19th Century Gilt Bronze & Malachite Double Eagle Console Table
Located in Forney, TX
A magnificent Neoclassical gilt bronze and malachite console table. The regal European antique (likely French) hand-crafted from 19th century and later elements, features a pair of large richly detailed gilded bronze Imperial (Royal) Eagles with spread wings, perched atop architectural columns adorned with finely chiseled and sculpted ormolu embellishments, flanked by dore bronze figural rams head mounts, over gilt brass and stunning malachite plinth...
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19th Century Neoclassical Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Malachite, Brass, Bronze, Ormolu

Rare Pair of 19th Century Cabinets by Grohé with a Noble Italian Provenance
Located in London, GB
An Important Pair of Cabinets By Grohé Frères of Paris From a Noble Genoese Family Constructed primarily from matched tulipwood throughout, with purpleheart and bois de rose bandin...
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19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu

French late 19th century Louis XV st. Baccarat Crystal and Ormolu centerpiece
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A most decorative French late 19th century Louis XV st. Baccarat Crystal and Ormolu centerpiece, stamped Baccarat. This stunning scallop shaped Baccarat Crystal centerpiece is set wi...
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19th Century French Louis XV Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Crystal, Ormolu

Antique Cloisonne Enamel and Gilt Bronze Clock Set
Located in London, GB
This wonderful cloisonne enamel clock set is an artful piece of design in the neoclassical style: each piece is elaborately applied with turquoi...
Category

19th Century French Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu, Bronze, Enamel

Pair Napoleon III Fire-Gilt Ormolu Curtain Tiebacks with Classical Female Busts
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Pair of Napoleon III Fire-Gilt Ormolu Curtain Tiebacks with Classical Female Busts, Palais Royal, Paris, 1870s An exquisite pair of French Napoleon III ormolu curtain tiebacks, dati...
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19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu

Large French Empire Style Glass and Gilt Bronze 18-Light Chandelier
Located in London, GB
This 19th century French chandelier is designed in the Empire style and wrought from gilt bronze and strings of cut glass. The chandelier features a lower dome-shaped body below an o...
Category

19th Century French Empire Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu, Bronze

French Pair of Louis XV Walnut Commodes, Side Tables or Night Stands
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Pair of petite French Louis XV commodes, which can also serve as side tables or nightstands. Each with three drawers, all with burled walnut inlay and beautiful pulls and ormolu acce...
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20th Century French Louis XV Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu

Small Ormolu Mounted Regency Chandelier by John Blades
Located in Steyning, West sussex
A fine Regency chandelier of tent and basket design with double ormolu bands issuing six diamond cut glass candle nozzles, the chandelier is hung with double cut rectangular spangles...
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1810s English Regency Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu

Sèvres Style Porcelain and Gilt Bronze Three-Piece Clock Set
Located in London, GB
This exquisite clock set is designed in an elegant 18th-Century Rococo manner, in the style of Sèvres porcelain wares. Rococo is characterised by its use of pastel colours, graceful ...
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19th Century French Rococo Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu, Bronze

Outstanding Large 19th Century Bronze & Porcelain Jewelry Casket Box
Located in Long Branch, NJ
​Outstanding Large 19th Century Bronze & Porcelain Jewelry Casket Box Dimensions : 14" Tall X 16" Wide X 11" Deep This gorgeous Antique jewelry ...
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Late 19th Century German Rococo Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu

Pair of Directoire Period Neoclassical Athénienne
Located in Gloucestershire, GB
A fine and rare pair of early 19th Century French, Directoire period, bronze and ormolu athénienne or stands. On circular mahogany plinths with ormolu mounts. Circa 1800.
Category

Early 19th Century French Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Bronze, Ormolu

Late 19thC Gilt Bronze Mounted Table Lamp
Located in Altrincham, GB
Late 19th century gilt metal mounted table lamp, the burgundy porcelain body of tapering form with applied gilt metal acanthus feet leading to cherub masks - 14" diam x 26"h - The la...
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1890s English High Victorian Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu

Wonderful French Empire Dore Bronze Regency Petite Five-Arm Chandelier Fixture
Located in Roslyn, NY
A Wonderful French Empire Dore Bronze Regency Petite Five Candelabra Light Chandelier, This Fixture Comes With Shades That Maybe Removed
Category

20th Century French Empire Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Bronze, Ormolu

Pair of Malachite and Gilt Bronze Stands in the Neoclassical Style
Located in London, GB
Pair of malachite and gilt bronze stands in the Neoclassical style French, 20th century Measures: Height 88cm, width 47cm, depth 39cm Each pedestal in this pair, wrought from gilt bronze and malachite, is based on the shape of a Classical Greek tripod...
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20th Century French Neoclassical Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Malachite, Ormolu, Bronze

An Exceptional French Japonisme Ormolu and Champleve Enamel Five Piece Clock Set
Located in Long Island City, NY, NY
An Exceptional French Japonisme Ormolu and Champlevé Enamel Five-Piece Clock Set, In the Manner of Edouard Lièvre, circa 1870, Paris. This extraordinary French Japonisme clock set, ...
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19th Century French Japonisme Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Enamel, Ormolu

pair of French 19th century Napoleon III Period Porcelain and Ormolu lamps
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A sensational and large scale pair of French 19th century Napoleon III Period, Louis XV/XVI st. Porcelain and Ormolu lamps. Each stunning lamp is raised by a Rocaille designed and pi...
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19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu

Antique French Ebonized, Ormolu & Inlay Card Table C1880
Located in Big Flats, NY
***Reduced In-House Delivery Rates - Click on “Ask Seller” to Request a Quote*** Antique French Ebonized, Ormolu & Inlay Card Table Unsigned C1880. 29"h x 34"w x 18"d (closed). ...
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Late 19th Century Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu

19th Century French Louis XVI Style Ormolu & Tulipwood Dressing Table by Sormani
Located in London, GB
An Elegant Ormolu-Mounted Tulipwood Dressing Table In the Louis XV Style Attributed to Paul Sormani A superb example of late 19th century 'mobilier de luxe,' this tulipwood-veneere...
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19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu

French 19th century Bronze and Ormolu statue of Aeneas and Anchises
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A handsome and richly detailed French 19th century Neo-Classical st. patinated Bronze and Ormolu statue of Aeneas and Anchises. This wonderful statue after a model by Pierre Lepautre...
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19th Century French Neoclassical Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Bronze, Ormolu

Large Ornate Antique French Ormolu Beveled Glass Jewelry Casket Dresser Box
Located in Wayne, NJ
A stunning antique French brass ormolu beveled glass footed jewelry casket or dresser box with hinged lid with a large rectangular design with beveled glass, ornate feet, intricate...
Category

Early 20th Century French Rococo Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu

French 19th Century Louis XIV St. Ormolu Clock
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A handsome and high quality mid-19th century French Louis XIV st. ormolu clock. The clock is raised by four tapered fluted legs decorated with acanthus leaves. The scalloped shaped c...
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19th Century French Louis XIV Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu

19th Century French Gilt-Bronze Mounted Commode after Jean-Henri Riesener
By Jean-Henri Riesener
Located in Tarzana, CA
A Superb 19th century French Louis XVI style gilt- bronze mahogany, kingwood and fruitwood marquetry armorial commode with Sycamore Marquetry and magn...
Category

Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu

Onyx, Marble, Gilt Bronze and Champlevé Enamel Pedestal Clock
Located in London, GB
This colorful pedestal clock has been crafted from fine red marble and green onyx, and beautifully decorated with gilt bronze (ormolu) and champlevé enamel. While a popular crafts material in ancient times, onyx was largely forgotten about until its rediscovery in the mid-19th century in Algeria by a French marble-worker called Delmonte. Onyx became highly fashionable in France following this discovery, and it was used to create a variety of decorative art objects. The clock features a green onyx cube-shaped case, which is surmounted by a slightly projecting red marble top. This top is fringed with champlevé enamel drapery-like motifs, with gilt bronze drop-finials. The case is mounted on its front with a circular dial, which features a central floral champlevé enamel motif, encircled by black Arabic Numerals. This dial is set within a gilt bronze egg-and-dart and champlevé enamel bezel. The sides of the case are mounted with circular gilt bronze barometers...
Category

Late 19th Century French Neoclassical Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Onyx, Marble, Ormolu, Bronze, Enamel

Antique French Sevres Porcelain and Ormolu Jewelry Casket, 19th Century
Located in London, GB
This is a fabulous antique French Ormolu and Sevres Porcelain jewelry casket, circa 1870 in date. This magnificent casket is rectangular in shape, with the top as well as each sid...
Category

1870s French Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu

French Louis XVI style mantel clock, 19th Century
Located in Brighton, Sussex
A good quality French gilded ormolu and white marble, 19th Century Louis XVI style mantel clock, with a classical maiden resting, a bird cage at her feet, a cherub holding a bow and ...
Category

19th Century French Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Marble, Ormolu

French 19th Century Empire-Style Dressing Table
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
This exceptional mahogany dressing table is complete with its original mercury glass pivoting mirror and white marble top. The mirror exhibits some foxing and is framed with beautifu...
Category

19th Century French Empire Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu

Antique Chandelier. Crystal Chandelier
Located in Atlanta, GA
A very fine Louis XV gilt bronze 'cage' style chandelier having sixteen lights with magnificent crystal pendalogues.
Category

Early 20th Century French Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Crystal, Ormolu

Large Three-Piece Porcelain, Champlevé Enamel, and Ormolu Mounted Clock Set
Located in London, GB
Large three-piece porcelain, champlevé enamel, and ormolu mounted clock set French, late 19th century Measures: Clock: height 46cm, width 25cm, depth 15cm Vases: height 38cm, width 14cm, depth 11cm This exceptional antique clock set consists of a central clock flanked by a pair of small vases...
Category

Late 19th Century French Belle Époque Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Enamel, Ormolu

19th Century French Louis XVI Style Ormolu Twenty-Seven Light Chandelier, c.1890
Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Antique late-19th century French palatial ormolu bronze twenty-seven light chandelier by the renowned designer and bronzier Maison Mottheau et Fils. This chandelier is in superb cond...
Category

19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Bronze, Ormolu

French Turn of the Century Louis XVI st. Mahogany and Ormolu dining table
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A stunning and high quality French Turn of the Century Louis XVI st. Mahogany and Ormolu dining table, attributed to Maison Jansen. This exceptional oval table is raised by elegant c...
Category

20th Century French Louis XVI Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu

pair of French 19th century Louis XV st. Ormolu candelabras
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A stunning and most elegant pair of French 19th century Louis XV st. Ormolu candelabras. Each high quality six arm candelabra is supported by a circular pierced foliate decorated bas...
Category

19th Century French Louis XV Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu

French 19th century Belle Epoque Period Bronze and Ormolu chandelier
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A high quality French 19th century Belle Epoque Period Louis XVI st. patinated Bronze and Ormolu chandelier. This stunning six arm chandelier is decorated at the bottom by finely cha...
Category

19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Bronze, Ormolu

A Fine Louis XVI Style Clock Garniture by François Linke
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A Fine Louis XVI Style Gilt-Bronze and White Marble Three-Piece Clock Garniture, By François Linke. Comprising a mantle clock and a pair of four-light candelabra. The Louis XVI sty...
Category

19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Marble, Enamel, Ormolu

François Linke French Louis XVI Ormolu Kingwood Bureau Plat Desk, c.1889
Located in King's Lynn, GB
A rare early François Linke bureau plat (c.1889, a masterwork of the Belle Époque by France’s most celebrated ébéniste. Originally from the Estelle D...
Category

Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Brass, Ormolu

Very Large Antique French Marble Ormolu Candelabrum Carrier-Belleuse Barbedienne
Located in London, GB
Very Large Antique French Marble Ormolu Candelabrum Carrier-Belleuse Barbedienne French, Late 19th Century Candelabra: Height 198cm, diameter 80cm Base: Height 56cm, diameter 58cm Ov...
Category

Late 19th Century French Neoclassical Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Marble, Ormolu

Very Impressive and Palatial Late 19th Century Bronze and Crystal Chandelier
Located in Long Island City, NY
A very impressive and palatial late 19th century gilt bronze and crystal twenty four light basket chandelier The large sunburst corona above a reticulated pierced crown adorned with...
Category

Late 19th Century French Belle Époque Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Crystal, Bronze, Ormolu

Large 19th Century Louis XVI Style Bronze Ormolu Mantel Clock Guibal Paris
Located in Casteren, Noord-Brabant
A fine and large Louis XVI style French mantel clock, from the end of the Napoleon III period, 1870-1880. The clock is bronze casted and has a fire-gilded finish, the dial is enamele...
Category

1870s French Louis XVI Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Ormolu

A Napoléon III Gilt-Bronze and Sèvres Style Porcelain-Mounted Bonheur Du Jour
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A Rare and Important Napoléon III Gilt-Bronze and Sèvres Style Porcelain-Mounted Mahogany and Lemon Wood Bonheur Du Jour, Attributed to Édouard Kreisser, This magnificent bonheur d...
Category

19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Ormolu

Paul Sormani Gilt-Bronze Mounted Marquetry Commode, Paris, After Haupt
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A rare and exceptional Louis XVI-style marquetry commode, executed by Paul Sormani, Paris, circa 1880, after the original 1779 design by Swedish master cabinetmaker Georg Haupt (1741...
Category

19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Marble, Ormolu

A Fine Pair of Russian Empire Period Malachite And Ormolu Obelisks, Early 1800's
Located in New York, NY
A Monumental and Quite Rare Pair of 19th Century Russian Empire Ormolu Mounted Malachite Obelisks with Maiden Ormolu Mounts. Each obelisk is complete with four sides which terminate upwards to a triangular point. The bases are fitted with ormolu mounts which include hand-chased and hand-chiseled maidens holding flaming torches in either hand and on the other panel decoration of a vine with a winged bow. On top of the large ormolu mounts are smaller mounts which depict child masks in wings. Underneath and on top of the square base are ormolu mounts which depict acanthus leaves flourishing throughout with hand-chased and hand-chiseled fluted veins. The entire body of the obelisk is veneered with the most incredible and highest quality antique Russian malachite...
Category

1830s Russian Empire Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Malachite, Ormolu

Large Gilt, Patinated Bronze and Marble Clock Set by Raingo Frères
Located in London, GB
Large gilt, patinated bronze and marble clock set by Raingo Frères French, Late 19th Century Clock: height 73cm, width 29cm, depth 28cm Candelabra: height 66cm, width 30cm, depth ...
Category

Late 19th Century French Neoclassical Antique Ormolu Furniture

Materials

Marble, 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.