Antique Pair of English Marquetry Inlaid Occasional Bedside Tables, 19th Century

View Similar Items

Antique English Marquetry Kidney Shaped Occasionally Tables 19th Century

Antique Edwardian Inlaid Workbox Side Occasional Table, 19th Century

Antique French Parquetry & Marquetry Occasional Table 19th C

Early 19th Century French Marquetry Occasional Table

Antique quality burr walnut marquetry inlaid wine side or occasional table 19th

Pair of 19th Century Occasional tables

A Pair of 19th Century Occasional Tables

Pair of 19th Century Occasional Tables

19th Century French Mahogany Inlaid Occasional Table

Antique English Marquetry Inlaid Oblong Occasional Table, "Signed" W Boyes & Co.

A Gorgeous Edwardian Marquetry Inlaid Occasional Table

Early 19th Century Antique French Marquetry Inlaid 3-Tier Side Table

Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 20

Antique Pair of English Marquetry Inlaid Occasional Bedside Tables, 19th Century

About the Item

This is a wonderful pair of antique English shaped-oval gonçalo alves marquetry inlaid occasional tables, late 19th century in date. The tables are beautifully inlaid in the elegant Edwardian manner with satinwood and ebonized crossbanded decoration, and each features a pair of serpentine flaps that can be raised or lowered as required. Each has a useful frieze drawer and is raised on elegant square tapered legs that terminate in the original brass and porcelain castors. The legs are conjoined by stunning fret-cut galleried under-tiers. Add an elegant touch to your home with these lovely versatile tables which can be used as end tables or bedside tables. Condition: In really excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned and waxed in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 65 x Width 48 x Depth 45 - Closed Height 65 x Width 90 x Depth 45 - Open Dimensions in inches: Height 2 feet, 2 inches x Width 1 foot, 7 inches x Depth 1 foot, 6 inches - Closed Height 2 feet, 2 inches x Width 2 feet, 11 inches x Depth 1 foot, 6 inches - Open Gonçalo alves is a hardwood (from the Portuguese name, Gonçalo Alves). It is sometimes referred to as tigerwood — a name that underscores the wood’s often dramatic contrasting color scheme. While the sapwood is very light in color, the heartwood is a sombre brown, with dark streaks that give it a unique look. The wood’s color deepens with exposure and age and even the plainer-looking wood has a natural luster. Two species are usually listed as sources for gonçalo alves: Astronium fraxinifolium and astronium graveolens, although other species in the genus may yield similar wood; the amount of striping that is present may vary. In the high tropical forests of Central and South America, well-drained soils furnish nutrients for a variety of dense, durable hardwoods sought for maritime use, heavy construction, and furniture. The Spanish began harvesting in Latin American forests in the early 1500s to provide timber for boatbuilding and repair. By the early 1900s, however, steel ships had replaced wooden ones, and the interest in tropical forests by both Europeans and Americans shifted to appearance-grade woods for furniture. Although history fails to provide us with a shopping list of species from either harvest period, it's probable that the wood we know today as gonçalo alves has always been sought. That's because gonçalo alves, considered one of the most beautiful of tropical woods, has a tough reputation, too. Strong and durable, it's used for construction in its homeland and secondarily for fine furniture. Woodworkers elsewhere treasure the wood for decorative items and veneer accents. 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 centres of luxury cabinet-making during the early 16th century. The craft was imported full-blown to France after the mid-17th 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.

Dimensions:
Height: 25.6 in (65 cm)Width: 18.9 in (48 cm)Depth: 17.72 in (45 cm)
Sold As:
Set of 2
Style:
Edwardian (In the Style Of)
Materials and Techniques:
Satinwood,Wood,Marquetry
Place of Origin:
England
Period:
1890-1899
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1890
Condition:
Seller Location:
London, GB
Reference Number:
Seller: 090221stDibs: LU950611290693