19th Century Furniture

Originally used in a French brasserie during the late nineteenth century, this white enameled cast iron bistro table or cafe table features a solid white oval marble top with grey ve...

An unusual English circa 1830 George IV, William IV period regency form armchair or bergere, the solid mahogany frame having shaped crest rail and scroll arms with caned back, sides,...

Outstanding quality antique Regency figured mahogany 10 seater extending dining table having a quality figured mahogany extending top with a moulded edge and 2 original extra leaves,...

This late nineteenth century French Louis Philippe style enfilade or sideboard is constructed of solid walnut with hand pegged joinery. This server features three book matched walnut...

A wonderful antique rivetted copper boiler pot. c.1880 Great size and shape with the most perfect natural verdigris patina that only time can produce with a substantial riveted re...

A stunning papier mache tray from England, 19th century, with “Japanned” black lacquer and parcel gilt illustrations covering the surface. The tray is glowing from the intricate depi...

George Trollope and Sons. Exhibited at the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1878 winning a Gold Medal for Excellence. The set forms the four sides of a complete panelled room that was exhibited as a boudoir room or petit salon at the Paris Exhibition 1878 . The main feature and centrepiece of this boudoir room is the Rosso Antico marble fireplace surmounted by an open display niche carved in cedar wood. Each side of the room is composed of various panels and are as follows: One side with a grand Rosso Antico marble fireplace flanked by two doorways. One side with French doors originally opening onto a balcony, flanked by two large bookshelves. One side with a window flanked by two mirrors. The opposite side with three large mirrors. The complete room measures: 21 ft / 6.4 m wide, 17 ft / 5.18 m deep, and 12 ft / 3.65 m high. It could also be used in a number of different combinations to suit various room layouts. The mirrors could be replaced with windows or further bookcases. Each side is decorated with various sizes of finely carved panels and holds ornate Corinthian style columns surmounted with cherubim's on the capitals. Three cherubs are formed at the top of each corner with three columns, at the column bases there are circular carved pedestals to display statues. Published & illustrated in the ‘Illustrated Catalogue of the Paris International Exhibition’. The main part of this room, the Rosso Antico marble fireplace is surmounted by a large open display niche carved in cedar wood are illustrated with a line drawing in the Paris Universal Exhibition catalogue on page 209. The whereabouts of the seminaked caryatids and the marble bust of Alexander Pope are unknown. The bust of Alexander Pope was copied from the original one in Westminster Abbey, London. The Corinthian columns now flanking the niche above the fireplace are also in cedar wood having the identical carved fluting to the rest of the room and were made to replace the caryatid figures. Those Corinthian columns are period to the room and can only have been made shortly after it arrived back to London and before it was reassembled and fitted into the house built by George Trollope and Sons in the 1880's, and where we removed it all from. George Trollope made clever use of Alexander Pope's early 18th-century poetical successes in Great Britain and France by using ‘The Rape of Lock’, a mock-heroic narrative poem Pope wrote in 1712 about Petre who cut off a lock of Arabella’s hair without her permission, as the theme of the boudoir room or petit salon at the 1878 Paris Exhibition. In the original exhibition display of the room set, tapestries depicting the Rape of Lock were hung where the mirrors are now positioned. Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock is a humorous indictment of the vanities and idleness of 18th-century high society. Basing his poem on an actual incident among two families of his acquaintance, Pope intended his verses to quench hot tempers and to encourage his friends to laugh at their own foolishness. The poem is an outstanding example in the English language of the genre of mock-epic. The 'epic' was considered one of the most serious of literary forms; it had been applied, in the classical period, to the trivialities of love and war. Pope’s mock-epic is not to mock the form itself, but to mock his society in its very failure to rise to epic standards, exposing its pettiness by casting it against the grandeur of the traditional epic subjects and the bravery and fortitude of epic heroes: Pope’s mock-heroic treatment in The Rape of the Lock underlines the ridiculousness of a society in which values have lost all proportion, and the trivial is handled with the gravity and solemnity that ought to be accorded to truly important issues. The 18th-century society in this poem fails to distinguish between things that are important and things that are not. The poem mocks the men it portrays by representing them as unworthy of a heroic culture. Therefore the mock-epic follows the epic in that its main concerns are serious and moral. The point that the theme must now be satirical rather than earnest is symptomatic of how far the culture has fallen. Retaining the original exhibition label The back of the panelling still retains two original labels printed with the 'Union Jack' and printed adjacent to it, 'The Secretary Royal British Commission for the Universal Exhibition 1878 Champ de Mars Paris'. Adjacent to that and below, printed and written in ink vertically: Exhibitor: (and signed in ink) George Trollope & Sons. Address: (written in ink) Halkin Street West. London. Allotment in Block: (written in ink) a2. In the printed floor plan 'a2 square' is in the very first line to the right of the floor plan and handwritten in ink with a 'diamond shape' also written with '101' within it. This pin points where George Trollope's stand was located. With thousands of items being displayed at the Exhibition, this label would have been the floor plan for the craftsmen, so they knew the correct place to install the boudoir room or petit salon. The firm continued expanding house building and interior decoration side of the business and by 1849 was also trading as an estate agency, letting and controlling property for the Grosvenor Estates. A separate branch of cabinet-makers, bearing the family name, was opened at West Halkin Street, London. becoming known as 'The Museum of Decorative Arts' (looked after by George Robinson). Here Trollope and Sons also sold high-class antique furniture made by other makers. In 1851, the firm became formally known as George Trollope and Sons. West Halkin Street, London. The address was recorded in the listing for the firm in The Furniture Gazette Directory, 1876 & 1877. Period Press Coverage & Art Critic Review. everal newspapers also thoroughly describe George Trollope and Son's stand including the different tapestries that were hung where the mirrors are now, illustrating the poem 'The Rape of Lock', by Alexander Pope. Marius Vachon, a French Art Critic and journalist, who wrote for the journal ‘La France’ published an extensive review of the Trollope and Sons stand in a book called Les Merveilles de l'Exposition de 1878 (The Wonders of the 1878 Exhibition). Note: In the World Fairs translation it states door frame, Marius Vachon had originally written ‘chambranle’ in French, 'chambranle' loosely translates to a frame around something, and should read in its correct context: ‘fireplace in rosso antico’. We have taken the extract below written by Marius Vachon in its translated form from: Les Merveilles de l'Exposition de 1878, (The Wonders of the 1878 Exhibition). This puts into perspective the importance of this fine quality room interior when he viewed it at the exhibition in 1878: Marius Vachon: English furniture is very curious to observe; irreproachable from the point of view of execution, the furniture of our neighbours always reaches the last degree of respectability and comfort. One thing to be noticed is that for large pieces of furniture, the English upholsterer is transformed into a sort of architect; everything he makes takes on a monumental aspect. The first object that catches the eye when one enters the furniture class is the beautiful boudoir-salon exhibited by Mr. Trollope. The boudoir (or petit salon), of carved cedar wood, is an attempt to reproduce the style which prevailed in England during the first decade of Queen Anne's reign, and all the details have been studied, but not copied, from examples of decorative work of the time. The fireplace is in "rosso antico" movement, and the ceiling is in portable plaster. The panels painted on canvas represent scenes from the heroic-comic poem "The Abduction of the Hairpin," (The Rape of Lock) written by Alexander Pope in 1712, the eighth year of Queen Anne's reign, in which the customs and mores of the time are satirized in a pleasing manner. The apotheosis of the Loop and its sidereal transformations will form the decoration of the ceiling. In these illustrations of Pope's charming poem, the costumes and accessories have been taken from models of the time; and the bust of the poet, copied from his tomb in Westminster Abbey, occupies the niche in the centre of the mantelpiece. M. Marius Vachon, the period writer of the above continues with: Now we shall mention at random the magnificent dining table of Messrs. Johnston and Co., their oak mantelpiece, their boudoir table; Mr. Watt's drawing-room mantelpiece stepped in the old style and imitating the Japanese; Mr. James Shoolbred's great The Decorative Arts Society on Trollope and Sons The boudoir or petit salon is mentioned again in the Decorative Arts Society: Trollope did not exhibit such highly rated objects at the 1878 Paris Exhibition as at previous exhibitions; items included a large mirror frame carved in limewood in Renaissance style and a satinwood cabinet in Adam revival style, with a similar armchair (illus. Meyer (2006), p. 242) and probably two rooms; one was a boudoir in cedar wood in Queen Anne style and the other was a boudoir decorated by the firm in the theme of Pope’s The Rape of Lock. In the above extract, it is quite clear that the two rooms mentioned are in fact the very same room, because the fireplace and niche are illustrated in The Paris Universal Exhibition catalogue on page 209 and Marius Vachon describes the rest of the room set in the above… Trollope and Sons exhibition pieces listed and described by Meyer in an article he wrote for: The Decorative Arts Society 1850 to present, Journal 25 in 2001., where he points out the importance of George Trollope and Sons and mentions a table by Trollope exhibited at the 1867 exhibition that sold for £40,000 in 1996. He also mentions a cabinet exhibited by Trollope at the International Exhibition of 1862 that sold at Sotheby's in 1997 for £150,000. Interest was not as strong in the 1990's as it is today for rare exhibition pieces, high quality items were abundant back then, it was a golden era when the most beautiful works of art just kept coming onto the market. But there are exceptions as in this instance, when a unique, gold medal-winning exhibition work of art comes onto the market for the very first time. Meyer continued researching and writing about the great exhibitions and released his book in 2006, 'The Great Exhibitions, London, New York, Paris and Philadelphia 1851- 1900, where he mentions only in passing, The Boudoir Room or Petite Salon exhibited by Trollope, he even states that an image was not reproduced and that Trollope's exhibits in 1878 were not up to the quality and class of the items Trollope exhibited in London in 1862 and Paris in 1868. This is probably because Meyer didn't know of the line drawing illustrating the Roso Antico Fireplace, Niche and Panelling reproduced in The Illustrated Catalogue of the Paris International Exhibition 1878 shown in the above which Geering recently uncovered. John Meyer continues in the DAS journal: Undoubtedly they (Trollope) are a firm worthy of further research as they were right at the forefront of the furniture business in London from 1860 to 1880. Our research shows that the Petite Boudoir was awarded the gold medal for excellence in 1878 (see Journal La Liberté 23-10-1878 with the list of all medals attributed), something George Trollope and Sons did not achieve at the London 1862 and the Paris 1867 exhibitions. Jonathan Meyer joined Bonham's in 1977. He was Director at Sotheby's in charge of 19th Century Furniture from 1994 to June 2007. He was also chairman of the Fine Arts Faculty for The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. In the original description from the article in Les Merveilles de l’exposition de 1878, M. Marius Vachon states: The first object that catches the eye when one enters the (English) furniture class is the beautiful boudoir-salon exhibited by Mr. Trollope. Suggesting, it was in his opinion the very best on display in the English section, and being awarded the gold medal for excellence can only add weight to this. Adjacent to the original label that was printed by The Secretary - Royal British Commission for the Universal Exhibition 1878 in stencil ‘TO BE KEPT’, i.e. ‘to be returned’. This confirms why it came back to London. We removed the Boudoir Room or Petite Salon from a Trollope house, part of a grand high-class housing estate in London which around the time of the exhibition Trollope and Sons were in the process of building, and where the room set was installed directly after it returned from the exhibition in 1878 until now. Worthy of note is the machines that did the carving for the Boudoir Room or Petite Salon and also did all of the decorative carving (most of which was linenfold carving) for the Houses of Parliament, London. This machine, the engraving and description of which we copy from Engineering, was specially designed by its inventor, Mr. Jordan, for assisting in the production of the vast amount of carved decorations required for the walls and ceilings of the Houses of Parliament, London, and it was so employed during the entire progress of the work. The late Sir Charles Barry was so well satisfied with it, that he frequently declared it would have been impossible to have accomplished the work without it. The Department of Woods and Forests employed five of the machines at the Government Works, Thames Bank, for several years; and the machines have now passed into the hands of Messrs. George Trollope and Son, and are still used in the same building. They also exhibited the new technique of xylatechnography and sgraffito, methods of impressing coloured design into soft wood and engraving veneer to reveal the base wood. The newspaper, La Liberte October, 23rd 1878 listing the medal winners of the Paris 1878 exhibition. Third column, ''GROUPE III MOBILIER ET ACCESSOIRES'', (GROUP III FURNITURE AND ACCESSORIES). Medailles d'or. (Gold Medals) where G Trollope et fils (G Trollope and Sons...

An exquisite, tall six-panel byôbu (folding screen) featuring a painting attributed to Kanô Isen’in Naganobu (1775–1828) depicting a pair of phoenixes (hô’ô) and a section of a large...

A petite pair of French 19th century faux bamboo bedside tables, carved from pine and accented with marble surfaces. The tops are rounded-square tiles of white marble, with faint gra...

An exceptional circa 1805 Irish late George III neoclassical hall bench of solid mahogany construction, the rectangular seat with satinwood and ebony 'zigzag' border inlay above flat...

This mid nineteenth century French Restauration style bookcase or vitrine is constructed of solid mahogany and features a bronze plaque at the crown detailed with symmetrical leaves,...

Monogrammed tapestry from the Aubusson Manufactory, greenery with two waders - No. 1563 Period: 19th century Style: Greenery Condition: Perfect condition Material: Wool and silk Widt...

Refined French Art Nouveau table from the early 20th century, featuring a flowing cast iron base with vegetal curves and elegant organic motifs. The table retains its original wooden...

solid mahogany with polished finish, original brown leather; decorative knobs; strikingly high backrest with stylised decoration in bas-relief; rear legs curved, forelegs tapering do...

A superb, tall six-panel byôbu (folding screen) featuring a painting attributed to Kanô Isen’in Naganobu (1775–1828) depicting a family of phoenixes (hô’ô) gathered beneath the shelt...

Unusual and humoristic 19th French Majolica jardinière with insects playing musicals instruments. Decorated with leaves and flowers.

An ingenious leather-topped mahogany writing desk with hidden extensions on each side to add occasional surface area. The leaves on the sides are a matcha green leather framed by gol...

A delightful faux-bamboo bedside table from late 19th century France in carved pine and maple. The top surface is white marble, shaped with a dish top forming a lip around the perime...

French 19th century faux bamboo carved pine vanity, offering daily inspiration in the organic forms and artistic ingenuity during the Aesthetic Movement of the late 1800s. Functionin...

Set of 10 19th Century Majolica Asparagus Plates – White, Green, Blue & Purple – Signed Description: This is a rare and exceptional set of 10 majolica asparagus plates from the 19th...

A faux-bamboo pine armoire from France, late 19th century, with a lovely amber patina in the frame. This tall storage piece appears as a rectangular silhouette, projecting a peaked c...

First the fragment has been hand backed on a linen fabric, then stretched over a wooden stretcher and finished with a wooden frame. Late 19th C. Uzbekistan Ready to go on a wall. Fr...

A petite French 19th century faux bamboo bedside table-cabinet, carved from pine and accented with marble surfaces to use in a bedroom, bath, or other living area that needs a fun si...

Exceptional Original Biedermeier Dining Set from Vienna, circa 1825 A Rare Masterpiece: Large Round Table and Six Elegant Chairs We are delighted to offer this rare and museum-quali...

19th French Majolica Pink Daisy Plate Delphin Massier.

Large 12 seater Outstanding quality antique Victorian figured mahogany extending dining table having a figured mahogany oval ended extending top with a double moulded edge and two or...

Hammered Silver Decoration From our Japanese collection, we are pleased to offer a Japanese Meiji Period Silver Dragon Box. The box of rectangular f...

LIMOGES ENAMEL PANELS From our Decorative collection, we are delighted to offer this French Napoleon III Ormolu and Enamel Jewellery Box. The Jewellery...

An exceptional Viennese Biedermeier walnut sofa – Vienna, c. 1825 We are pleased to offer this rare and exquisitely elegant Biedermeier walnut sofa, crafted in Vienna circa 1825. Th...

A superb antique French Art Nouveau silver handled walking stick, Circa 1880 in date. It features astunning  silver crook handle embossed with floral garlands with a decorative inse...

A columnar, French mahogany and marble top bedside table that offers both storage and display to fit in any room around the home. The top surface is a flat disc of pale gray marble t...

An exceptionally fine early English Well Figured Solid grained Walnut Ladies or Gents Travelling Writing Slope of outstanding quality and compact proportions. Last quarter of the Nin...

A large porcelain oval serving dish, finely decorated with classical hand-painted iron red and cobalt blue patterns enhanced with fine gold : flowers, leaves and fantastic animals in...

Another stunning hand-painted oil on canvas work of religious art. This antique oil painting was first hand-painted on canvas and later mounted onto a zinc backplate .. a traditiona...

These are a very nice pair of sabre legged Regency period side chairs. The have a very attractive worn original ebonised finish. The brass details all over are also original but some...

This is a very characterful 18th century Spanish table. It is made from walnut throughout and the top is a stunning single plank that has a wonderful patina and tactile feel that can...

A magnificent English Victorian tea table (late 19th century) of ebonized wood and inlaid with mother-of-pearl on the surface. Deep ebonized color ...

Set of Three 19th-Century Continental Hand-Painted Porcelain Plates with Naturalist Fruit & Insect Decoration A captivating set of three finely hand-painted porcelain plates, dating...

Fire Screen in Patinated Brass Late 19th Century. A very elegant and beautifully patinated fire screen in brass - late 19th century / early 20th century. A simple yet stylish design...

From the city of Arles in southern France, this mid nineteenth century Louis XVI style walnut demi-lune console table features a white marble top. Hand carved details on the apron be...

AUTHOR: DODGSON, Charles L. (Lewis Carroll). TITLE: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. PUBLISHER: London: Macmillan & Co., 1866. DESCRIPTION: FIRST LONDON EDITION. 1 vol., 7-11/16...

Title: Rare 1782 Sonnerat Engraving of Sani, Hindu Deity on Raven Description: This captivating antique print, titled "Sani," was created by French naturalist and explorer Pierre So...

A superb heavy tribal bracelet from the Horn of Africa, attributed to the Ethiopian, Somali, or Nubian regions. Crafted from high-grade silver, this substantial piece is richly decor...

Rare Majolica Palissy oyster plate attributed to Thomas Sergent with fishs heads, circa 1880.

A fabulous walnut desk calendar Lovely colour of wood Good condition. All text and numbers complete Free UK shipping   

Dutch Style Mirror. Antique Mannerist / Flemish style mirror in original light walnut with corner block trim detail and mercury glass plate. Italy, late 19th century Dimensions: 32...

Pair of 19th Century bronze cloisonné vases. These baluster form vessels feature an enameled body with all-over polychrome foliage motifs on a turquoise ground, with two dragon handl...

A monumental 19th century French oak dining table with unique decorative elements in the trestle base. Impossibly heavy, the top ...

Antique Victorian quality figured mahogany three door wardrobe having a quality figured mahogany shaped cornice above three figured mahogany moulded panelled arch top doors with eigh...

A French 19th century ebonized wood prie dieu upholstered in vibrant needlepoint. This dramatic prayer kneeler has a plush armrest rising from turned spindles forming an arched desig...

Coral Indonesia 19th century 15 x 15 x 2.5 in. / 38 × 38 × 6 cm Height on custom display stand: 20.75 in. / 53 cm

Lovely pair of French 19th century wall mirrors with delicate Neoclassical motifs embossed in the recessed part frame, softened under an allover “French grey” paint and craquelure te...

Beautiful weathered confit jar with a gorgeous green glaze. With green glaze they are extremely rare. Confit jars were used primarily in the South of France for the preservation of m...

French late 19th century faux bamboo pine bed, reflecting the Aesthetic Movement artistry for organic forms in stylized, decorative ways. Pine planks on the flat surfaces (inside and...

Elegant 19th century French dining table with an oval top and smooth extension mechanism expanding from 51.5” to 85.5” in length. Crafted from rich-toned wood, the table features flu...

Alpine Painted Chest in Fir Wood - Dated 1809 Code: C173 Wood Type: Fir Wood Period: Dated 1809 Origin: Tyrol - Alps Dimensions: Height: 61 cm - Width: 139 cm - Depth: 64 cm Height: 24.02 in - Width: 54.72 in - Depth: 25.20 in Description: Chest made of painted fir wood with a dark green background, typical of the Alpine tradition. The front is divided into three panels with molded frames painted in red: two feature stylized floral bouquets, and the central one bears an inscription in old Gothic German...

Great image of deer. Unframed. It gives you the option of perhaps making a set up using your own choice of frames. Lithograph after Cpt. brown with original hand color. Published ...

Swiss Alpine armchair from the village of Verbier in the Valais region, a heart carved on the back as well as wheels and a signature on the back, very beautiful and rare mountain arm...

Romantic hand painted Dieppe bovine bone floral snuff box - featuring a colorful display of flowers set against a solid brown background - the sides decorated with garlands and blue ...

A wonderful late 19th-Century Meissen blue onion square hand painted porcelain dish. Printed and impressed "Meissen" mark on reverse. This fine blue onion platter exhibits excellen...