Antique French Kingwood and Ormolu Bijouterie Display Table

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Antique French Kingwood and Ormolu Bijouterie Display Table

About the Item

This is a beautiful antique French Kingwood and ormolu-mounted bijouterie display table in the Louis XV style, circa 1880 in date. It has a bevelled glass lid and glass sides, it has it's original light pink velvet lining. The glass is framed with Rococo style ormolu mouints in the form of acanthus leaves and it has a decorative reeded ormolu band around the lid. It is raised on elegant tapering cabriole legs with ormulu mounts and sabots. Bijouterie tables were designed to store and display a collection of small valuable items, they are also called table vitrines, and display tables. Condition: In excellent condition having being cleaned and polished, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 100 x width 33 x depth 33. Dimensions in inches: Height 3 feet, 3 inches x width 1 foot, 1 inch x depth 1 foot, 1 inch. 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). Kingwood is a Classic furniture wood, almost exclusively used for inlays on very Fine furniture. Occasionally it is used in the solid for small items and turned work, including parts of billiard cues, e.g., those made by John Parris. It is brownish-purple with many Fine darker stripes and occasional irregular swirls. Occasionally it contains pale streaks of a similar colour to sapwood. The wood is very dense and hard and can be brought to a spectacular finish. it turns well but due to its density and hardness can be difficult to work with hand tools. It also has a tendency to blunt the tools due to its abrasive properties.

Dimensions:
Height: 39.38 in (100 cm)Width: 13 in (33 cm)Depth: 13 in (33 cm)
Place of Origin:
France
Period:
1880-1889
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1880
Condition:
Seller Location:
London, GB
Reference Number:
Seller: 073521stDibs: LU95065284903