Antique Pair French Empire Style Bedside Cabinets, circa 1900

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Antique Pair French Empire Style Bedside Cabinets, circa 1900

About the Item

A thoroughly delightful pair of antique French bedside cabinets, circa 1900 in date, typical of the Empire Revival style which was especially popular at the time. They are have been accomplished in mahogany with gilded ormolu mounts and stunning Carrara marble inset tops. They each have a pair of oak lined drawers and Stand on elegant tapering fluted legs. Carrara is a city in Tuscany famous for the white or blue-gray marble quarried there. Condition: In excellent condition having been beautifully restored in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 66 x Width 42 x Depth 31. Dimensions in inches: Height 2 feet, 2 inches x Width 1 foot, 4 inches x Depth 1 foot, 0 inches. Mahogany. is probably one of the largest ‘families’ of hardwood, having many different varieties within its own species. Mahogany has been used for centuries in ship building, house building, furniture making etc and is the core structure of just about every 19th century vanity box, dressing case or jewellery box. It became more of a Victorian trend to dress Mahogany with these decorative veneers, such as Rosewood, Kingwood, Burr Walnut and Coromandel, so that the actual Mahogany was almost hidden from view. Mahogany itself is a rich reddish brown wood that can range from being plain in appearance to something that is so vibrant, figured and almost three dimensional in effect. Although Mahogany was most often used in its solid form, it also provided some beautifully figured varieties of veneer like ‘Flame’ Mahogany and ‘Fiddleback’ Mahogany (named after its preferred use in the manufacture of Fine musical instruments). Cuban Mahogany was so sought after, that by the late 1850′s, this particular variety became all but extinct. 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-coloured 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 colour. 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: 25.99 in (66 cm)Width: 16.54 in (42 cm)Depth: 12.21 in (31 cm)
Sold As:
Set of 2
Place of Origin:
France
Period:
1900-1909
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1900
Condition:
Seller Location:
London, GB
Reference Number:
Seller: 071711stDibs: LU95064358913