Antique Boulle and Tortoiseshell Pier Cabinet

View Similar Items

Antique French Napoleon III Ebonised Tortoiseshell Boulle & Marble Pier Cabinet

Napoleon III Boulle Pier Cabinet

Pair Boulle Pier Cabinet Ebonised Inlay Antique 1850

Brass and Tortoiseshell Inlaid Boulle Style Ebonised Wood Cabinets

Pair 19th Century Boulle pier cabinets

Pair of 19th Century Boulle Pier Cabinets

French Boulle Style Display Pier Cabinet, circa 1900

French Boulle Pier Cabinet Side Display French Inlay 1880

Pair of 19th Century French Ebonised Boulle Pier Cabinets

Ormolu and Boulle Ebonised Wood Antique Vitrine Cabinet

French Boulle Cabinet

Fine Quality Antique Boulle Style Side Cabinet

About the Item

This is a beautiful antique ebonized cut brass Boulle and tortoiseshell two door pier cabinet, circa 1840 in date This ornate cabinet is decorated with ormolu mounts and has an elegant "Marmo Nero" marble top. The two cupboard doors have striking raised oval panels, which open to present a mahogany interior with central shelf. The cabinet is breathtakingly inlaid with cut brass and red tortoiseshell, has exquisite gilded ormolu mounts and brass inlay. Complete with working lock and original key. There is no mistaking its unique quality and design, which is certain to make it a talking point in your home and it is sure to take pride of place in your dining room or reception. André-Charles Boulle (1642 – 1732), was the French cabinetmaker who is generally considered to be the preeminent artist in the field of marquetry. His fame in marquetry led to his name being given to a fashion of inlaying known as Boulle (or in 19th-century Britain, Buhl work). Boulle appears to have been originally a painter, since the first payment to him by the crown of which there is any record (1669) specifies ouvrages de peinture. He was employed for many years at Versailles, where the mirrored walls, the floors of wood mosaic, the inlaid paneling and the marquetery furniture in the Cabinet du Dauphin were regarded as his most remarkable work. These rooms were long since dismantled and their contents dispersed, but Boulle's drawings for the work are in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris. His royal commissions were numerous, as we learn both from the Comptes des B timents du Roi and from the correspondence of Louvois. Not only the most magnificent of French monarchs, but foreign princes and the great nobles and financiers of his own country crowded to him with commissions, and the mot of the abbé de Marolles, Boulle y lourne en ovale, has become a stock quotation in the literature of French cabinetmaking. Tortoiseshell or tortoise shell is a material produced mainly from the shell of the hawksbill turtle, an endangered species. It was widely used until the 1970s in the manufacture of items such as combs, sunglasses, guitar picks and knitting needles. In 1973, the trade of tortoiseshell worldwide was banned under CITES. Tortoiseshell was attractive to manufacturers and consumers because of its beautiful appearance and its durability, and its organic warmth against the skin. Piqué-work, jewelry made from tortoiseshell inlaid with precious metals in patterns or pictures, was made during the Victorian Era and was highly prized. Ormolu (from French 'or moulu', signifying ground or pounded gold) is an 18th-century English term for applying finely ground, high-carat gold in a mercury amalgam to an object of bronze.The mercury is driven off in a kiln leaving behind a gold colored veneer known as "gilt bronze." The manufacture of true ormolu employs a process known as mercury-gilding or fire-gilding, in which a solution of nitrate of mercury is applied to a piece of copper, brass, or bronze, followed by the application of an amalgam of gold and mercury. The item was then exposed to extreme heat until the mercury burned off and the gold remained, adhered to the metal object. No true ormolu was produced in France after around 1830 because legislation had outlawed the use of mercury. Therefore, other techniques were used instead but nothing surpasses the original mercury-firing ormolu method for sheer beauty and richness of color. Electroplating is the most common modern technique. Ormolu techniques are essentially the same as those used on silver, to produce silver-gilt (also known as vermeil).

Dimensions:
Height: 44.1 in (112 cm)Width: 50.01 in (127 cm)Depth: 16.15 in (41 cm)
Place of Origin:
France
Period:
19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1840
Condition:
In excellent condition having been beautifully restored in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation.
Seller Location:
London, GB
Reference Number:
Seller: 056641stDibs: LU95061232170

More From This Seller

View All

Antique Victorian Amboyna and Ebonized Pier Cabinet, 19th Century

Located in London, GB

This is a beautiful antique Victorian amboyna and ebonised pier cabinet, circa 1850 in date. The rectangular amboyna top with an elegant brass gallery above a frieze inset with a ...

Category

Antique 1850s English Victorian Cabinets

Materials

Amboyna

Antique Victorian Amboyna and Ebonized Pier Cabinet, 19th Century

$2,621

Antique Pair Victorian Walnut Marquetry Pier Cabinets 19th Century

Located in London, GB

This is a superb antique pair of decorative Victorian burr walnut and floral marquetry pier cabinets, dating from Circa 1860. Adding to their truly unique character they are decora...

Category

Antique 19th Century English Victorian Cabinets

Materials

Ormolu

Antique Pair Victorian Walnut Marquetry Pier Cabinets 19th Century

$3,794 / set

Antique Ormolu Mounted Serpentine Boulle Credenza 19th Century

Located in London, GB

This is an important antique, Victorian, ebonised, ormolu mounted, and Boulle cut brass marquetry serpentine credenza, circa 1870 in date. It is beautifully inlaid in cut brass, in ...

Category

Antique 1870s English Victorian Cabinets

Materials

Ormolu, Brass

Antique Ormolu Mounted Serpentine Boulle Credenza 19th Century

$13,106

Antique Satinwood and Inlaid Bedside Cabinet, 19th Century

Located in London, GB

This is a splendid antique Victorian satinwood bedside cabinet, circa 1880 in date. The cabinet features quarter veneered satinwood with decorative ebonized line inlay. It has a f...

Category

Antique 1880s English Victorian Cabinets

Materials

Satinwood

Antique Satinwood and Inlaid Bedside Cabinet, 19th Century

$1,310

Antique Late Victorian Marquetry Corner Cabinet 19th Century

Located in London, GB

This is a fabulous antique English Edwardian profusely inlaid corner cabinet, circa 1880 in date. The cabinet is made of rich mahogany and has satinwood inlay with garlands, swags, ...

Category

Antique 1880s British Victorian Cabinets

Materials

Mahogany

Antique Late Victorian Marquetry Corner Cabinet 19th Century

$1,862

Antique French Ormolu Mounted Walnut Display Cabinet Circa 1920

Located in London, GB

This is a stunning antique French Louis Revival ormolu mounted walnut and marquetry inlaid display cabinet, circa 1920 in date. The cabinet features a shaped top and has impressive ...

Category

Vintage 1920s Cabinets

Materials

Walnut

Antique French Ormolu Mounted Walnut Display Cabinet Circa 1920

$1,517

Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Cabinets

Materials

Brass

Antique French Napoleon III Ebonised Tortoiseshell Boulle & Marble Pier Cabinet

$6,415

Napoleon III Boulle Pier Cabinet

Located in Astoria, NY

Napoleon III Gilt Metal Mounted Faux Tortoiseshell and Brass Inlay Boulle Pier Cabinet, late 19th century, the rectangular top above an inlaid frieze, below, a central arched glazed ...

Category

Antique Late 19th Century Napoleon III Cabinets

Materials

Wood

Napoleon III Boulle Pier Cabinet

$3,250 Sale Price

40% Off

Pair Boulle Pier Cabinet Ebonised Inlay Antique 1850

Located in Potters Bar, GB

Wonderful Pair of French Ebonised and Boulle Pier Cabinets. Circa 1850 These Cabinets are Raised Upon Shaped Plinth Bases. Each Cabinet Having 1 Glazed Door Which Opens to Reveal She...

Category

Antique 1850s Cabinets

Materials

Glass, Wood

Pair Boulle Pier Cabinet Ebonised Inlay Antique 1850

$7,864 / set

Brass and Tortoiseshell Inlaid Boulle Style Ebonised Wood Cabinets

By André-Charles Boulle

Located in London, GB

Brass and tortoiseshell inlaid Boulle style ebonised wood cabinets French, late 19th Century Height 142cm, width 127.5cm, depth 49.5cm The ma...

Category

Antique Late 19th Century French Louis XIV Cabinets

Materials

Marble, Brass, Ormolu, Bronze

Brass and Tortoiseshell Inlaid Boulle Style Ebonised Wood Cabinets

$165,559 / set

Pair 19th Century Boulle pier cabinets

By André-Charles Boulle

Located in Brighton, Sussex

Pair of French 19th Century Boulle inlaid side cabinets, each with their original black Belgium marble tops, gilded classical ormolu mouldings and mounts, canted corners with classic...

Category