Chinese Rosewood Mother-of-Pearl Credenza with Marble Top
You must be a subscriber, and be logged in to view price and dealer details.
Subscribe Now to view actual auction price for this item
When you subscribe, you have the option of setting the currency in which to display prices to $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.
- Mother-Of-Pearl - Mother-of-pearl, technical name "nacre", is the inner layer of a sea shell. The iridescent colours and strength of this material were widely used in the nineteenth century as an inlay in jewellery, furniture, (especially papier mache furniture) and musical instruments.
In the early 1900s it was used to make pearl buttons. Mother-of-pearl is a soft material that is easily cut or engraved.
Nowadays it is a by-product of the oyster, freshwater pearl mussel and abalone industries. - Rosewood - A dense timber that varies in shade to very light brown to almost black. When rosewood is cut and sanded the colour of the timber will turn black, and after polishing and exposure to daylight, the surface will gradually lighten over time to light brown with black streaks.
The name comes from the odour emanating from the timber when it is planed, sanded or cut.
Rosewood was very popular for use in Victorian furniture in the second half of the 19th century, and at that time most of the rosewood was imported from Brazil. However it also grows in India and Indonesia.
It is used in the sold for chairs and table legs, but for carcase furniture such as side cabinets and bookcases, and for table tops it is always used as a veneer.
This item has been included into following indexes:
Visually similar items
A Chinese square censer with cover, ding, 17th century 23 cm high, 2230g,. Provenance: South Australia Private Collection, acquired around 2009 Europe Private Collection
An 18th century oak bureau desk. 87 cm high, 65 cm wide, 47 cm deep
Colonial cedar washstand. Turned legs and shaped backboard. Height 105 cm. Width 79 cm. Depth 47 cm
A Chinese archaic bronze and timber box, and a bronze figure a rectangular bronze box with archaic imagery upon a diaper ground raised on four legs with lug handles and surmounted by a carved timber lid with lion dog finial; and an oriental half man half m