English Papier-Mché Tilt-Top Table by Jennens and Bettridge

This exceptionally rare circular expanding dining table was designed by Robert Jupe and crafted by the English cabinetmakers Johnstone & Jeanes, successors to Johnstone, Jupe & Co. One of only a handful known from the firm, this table illustrates the Victorian era's quest to combine technical innovation with superb and beautiful craftsmanship. Complete with its original leaves, the table’s circular top is formed from eight separate segments. When the top is rotated, an ingenious swivel mechanism causes the sections to diverge, allowing a set of small or large leaves to be inserted for an adjustable increase in size. The design for the table was patented by Robert Jupe in 1835, who had envisioned “an improved expanding table so constructed that the sections composing its surface may be caused to diverge from a common center and that the spaces caused thereby may be filled up by inserting leaves or filling pieces.” The first of these fascinating tables were created between 1835 and 1840 during his partnership with John Johnstone and their firm of Johnstone, Jupe & Co. in London. Jupe left the company in 1840, after which the firm changed its name due to a new partnership and became Johnstone & Jeanes. The firm would eventually achieve international fame for its remarkable designs, exhibiting a "circular table made on the expanding principle" like this one at the Great Exhibition of 1851. Jupe was not alone in his fascination with combining the technical merits of engineering and mechanics with the more artful pursuit of cabinet making. The first half of the 19th century saw a prolific increase in the popularity of applying new ideas to furniture principles, which allowed furniture to serve many purposes. The resulting “patent” furniture...

This ingenious late Regency card table was designed with both beauty and entertainment in mind. When not in use, its folded D-shaped top sits against the wall providing an elegant si...

The exquisite art of pietre dure is at its absolute finest in this spectacular pair of Russian ormolu and malachite plinths. True works of art of the Restauration period, these plinths each feature a matching pietre dure mosaic crafted of the finest stones, all chosen to create a sense of depth and dimensionality in the final work. Depicting an onyx vase with tulips, roses, daffodils, magnolia and other flowers, these pietre dure panels are among the finest examples of this ancient art we have seen. The pietre dure is complemented by malachite panels of the highest quality, exhibiting exceptional depth through its extraordinary cellular structure. Malachite is one of Russia’s most precious stones, and its presence in these plinths indicates commission and ownership by an individual of considerable status. Mounted in an excellent stepped ormolu base, these plinths originally served as bases for vases or candelabra. The overall execution and appearance of these plinths is very characteristic of the taste associated with the immensely wealthy collector Nicolas Demidoff. As early as 1806, Demidoff had commissioned the Parisian goldsmith Henri August to supply a guéridon; in 1819, he ordered famed French bronzier Pierre-Philippe Thomire to supply mounts for a massive malachite vase (now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York), as well as a console table with legs in the form of Nike. Other commissions included a table given as a gift to Grand Duke Leopoldo II of Florence, now in the Pitti Palace. Demidoff eventually settled in Florence in 1822 and became Russian minister to the Tuscan Court. Elevated to the rank of Count of San Donato by the Grand Duke, he built a magnificent villa at San Donato on the site of lands formerly owned by the Medici. The villa was later inherited by Anatole, his son, Prince of San Donato, and there are records which confirm transactions he had with the Opificio delle Pietre Dure. The 19th century proved to be the golden age of Russian malachite. The stone became a sign of prestige and a token of wealth, so much so that Russian papers of the time wrote: "To afford having a big piece wrought in malachite is synonymous to owning diamonds." Year after year the Russian (Romanov) treasury paid increasingly unreasonable prices to hoard the best malachite, much of which went into Romanov palaces and extravagant objets d'art. The Hermitage Museum possesses a collection of over two hundred examples of this “palatial” malachite...

Tremendous size and exquisite ormolu detailing distinguish this important 19th-century French pedestal. Crafted of ebony and ebonized woods, this outstanding fixture boasts intricate brass inlay and bold ormolu of exceptional quality on all four sides. Standing just over six feet tall and raised upon ormolu lion...

This intricately detailed 19th-century bracket clock from famed English firm J.C. Jennens & Sons is monumental in size, likely made for one of the great world exhibitions or perhaps to put in the firm's own store window. The eight-day timepiece has a triple fusee...

This handsome English jockey scale comes from Pooly & Son of Liverpool, one of the leading manufacturers of weighing machines in the 19th century. These ingenious scales were used at...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this very fine, super collectable, fully stamped Jennens & Bettridge Antique Regency circa 1815-1820 black l...

19th century English mahogany tilt-top serving table Fantastic tilt-top serving table made from solid mahogany. Hand carved and custom made. Sitting atop a hand carved pedestal ba...

A beautiful Papier-Mache tilt top occasional table, hand-painted with flowers and inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Gilt decoration has faded gently with age.

A beautiful tilt-top round pedestal table with room for 6+. Recently painted and faux distressed, with small detail around the edge of the tabletop. The table opens and closes with a...

A Federal style mahogany candle stand by Kittinger, circa 1970s. Williamburg Restoration line. Features a rectangular top with serpentine edge over a baluster turned base with cabrio...

The circular 2 cm/0.75in thick, tilt-top is made from a solid piece of mahogany with beautiful flame figuring. Unusually, the tilt-top mechanism and brassware are original. The stem ...