Turtle Stone and Royal Sarracolin Marble Parcel Gilt Table

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Turtle Stone and Royal Sarracolin Marble Parcel Gilt Table

About the Item

A remarkable display of English craftsmanship and a fascinating relic of natural history, this Regency-style table features an awe-inspiring specimen of turtle stone, an English marble formed from fossilized spheres known as septarian nodules. This impressive specimen is beautifully set within a highly figured fossil marble top and crossbanded with a visually stunning Royal Sarrancolin Opera Fantastico marble border. The inlaid marbles are all set atop a beautiful parcel-gilt bronze wood pedestal table. Turtle stone is an English marble cut from large geological spheres called septarian nodules, so called because of the seven-pointed formation of the calcites, aragonite and limestone which are components of the stone which formed in the Oxford Clay during the English Jurassic period, 150 million years ago. The nodules were first discovered during the brick mining process of the early 19th century and geologists discovered that they could be sliced and polished to incorporate in items of fine furniture or ornaments. Large nodules were extremely rare, so turtle stone is almost never found in a tabletop. Royal Sarracolin has been used since antiquity and is renowned for its flaming red pattern. It can be found in the prestigious staterooms of Versailles, such as the fireplace in the Hercules salon. When combined, the two remarkable marble stones create a dazzling visual effect. The acquisition of quality marble was a pursuit in which only the most privileged members of society indulged. Meticulously crafted specimen or Grand Tour furnishings such as this table were a means to display worldliness, luxury and fine taste in an English Regency home. This exquisite table with its elegant parcel gilt bronze wood pedestal and marvelous worldly specimens was once housed in a titled English estate. circa 1840 29" high by 24" diameter.

Dimensions:
Height: 29 in (73.66 cm)Width: 24 in (60.96 cm)Depth: 24 in (60.96 cm)
Style:
Regency (In the Style Of)
Materials and Techniques:
Bronze,Marble,Stone,Wood,Cross-Banded,Gilt,Inlay
Place of Origin:
England
Period:
19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1840
Condition:
Seller Location:
New Orleans, LA
Reference Number:
Seller: 31-70281stDibs: LU891134808792