19th Century French Louis XV Revival Ormolu Marquetry Card Games Table

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About the Item

This is a superb antique French Louis XV Revival ormolu-mounted mahogany and marquetry rounded rectangular marquetry card table, circa 1880 in date. This splendid card table features a folding top which features exquisite floral and foliate marquetry decoration with striking ormolu corner mounts. The card table opens to reveal the green baize lined interior which is perfect for playing cards. It has a deep and shaped frieze with a spacious storage compartment for all your cards, pens, pencils and paper. It is raised on wonderful cabriole legs embellished with delightful decorative ormolu mounts. This exceptional piece represents a remarkable example of French marquetry cabinetry at its very finest. Condition: In excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned, polished and waxed in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 77 x width 71 x depth 46 Height 75 x width 71 x depth 88 - opened Dimensions in inches: Height 30.3 x width 28.0 x depth 18.1 Height 29.5 x width 28.0 x depth 34.6 - opened Marquetry is decorative artistry where pieces of material (such as wood, mother of pearl, pewter, brass silver or shell) of different colors are inserted into surface wood veneer to form intricate patterns such as scrolls or flowers. The technique of veneered marquetry had its inspiration in 16th century Florence. Marquetry elaborated upon Florentine techniques of inlaying solid marble slabs with designs formed of fitted marbles, jaspers and semi-precious stones. This work, called opere di commessi, has medieval parallels in Central Italian "Cosmati"-work of inlaid marble floors, altars and columns. The technique is known in English as Pietra Dura, for the "hardstones" used: onyx, jasper, cornelian, lapis lazuli and colored marbles. In Florence, the Chapel of the Medici at San Lorenzo is completely covered in a colored marble facing using this demanding jig-sawn technique. Techniques of wood marquetry were developed in Antwerp and other Flemish centers of luxury cabinet-making during the early 16th century. The craft was imported full-blown to France after the mid-seventeenth century, to create furniture of unprecedented luxury being made at the royal manufactory of the Gobelins, charged with providing furnishings to decorate Versailles and the other royal residences of Louis XIV. Early masters of French marquetry were the Fleming Pierre Golle and his son-in-law, André-Charles Boulle, who founded a dynasty of royal and Parisian cabinet-makers (ébénistes) and gave his name to a technique of marquetry employing shell and brass with pewter in arabesque or intricately foliate designs. 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 jewelry 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 1850s, 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-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. After circa 1830 because legislation had outlawed the use of mercury other techniques were used instead. Electroplating is the most common modern technique. Ormolu techniques are essentially the same as those used on silver, to produce silver-gilt.

Dimensions:
Height: 29.53 in (75 cm)Width: 27.96 in (71 cm)Depth: 34.65 in (88 cm)
Style:
Louis XV (In the Style Of)
Materials and Techniques:
Mahogany,Ormolu,Marquetry
Place of Origin:
France
Period:
1880-1889
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1880
Condition:
Seller Location:
London, GB
Reference Number:
Seller: 097961stDibs: LU950616698651