Louis XV Style Tulipwood Semainier 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.
- Feather Banding - Inlaid banding found on the edges of tables, drawers and other items, where two strips of veneer are laid at right angles to each other, but at 45 degrees to the perimeter of the edge, to give a herringbone effect.
- Bombe Front - More commonly associated with a dome shaped dessert, "bombe" in furniture parlance means "puffed out". In profile the piece is serpentine shaped, narrow at the top, swelling out towards the middle and continuing to the floor, though sometimes it narrowed again at the foot. Drawer fronts are curved in section. Bombe pieces are often highly decorated with marquetry inlay, or veneered and set with brass or ormolu mounts. The most common use of the word, is in the description of the 'bombe commode'.
The bombe design was particularly popular in the 18th century, during the reign of Louis XIV, when it was used to create furniture pieces with a curved, rounded bulging shape. This design was used on furniture in many styles, including Baroque, Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI. The bombe chest is one of the most iconic furniture piece featuring this design. They were usually made of precious woods like mahogany, rosewood, and walnut, and feature elaborate inlay, gilded ornaments and ormolu. Other items of furniture where the bombe design can be seen include cabinets, commodes, and desks. - Bronze - An alloy of copper and tin, traditionally in the proportions of about 9 parts of copper to 1 part of tin.
The discovery of bronze in Western Asia in the 4th century enabled people to create metal objects which were superior to those previoulsy possible because of its strength and hardness, and it has been used throughout the world for weapons, coins, tools, statuary and other decorative items.
It is very fluid in a molten state, and its hardness, strength when set, and non-corrosive properties makes it most suitable for casting sculpture. - Serpentine - Resembling a serpent, in the form of an elongated 'S'. A serpentine front is similar to a bow front, except that the curve is shallow at each end, swelling towards the middle. The term presumably derives from its similarity to a moving snake or serpent. Serpentine fronts are usually veneered, with the carcase either being cut and shaped from a solid piece of timber, or built in the 'brick' method.
This item has been included into following indexes:
Visually similar items
A Louis XV style inlaid tulipwood semainier, circa 1930s, of typical form with a shaped purple and ochre marble top above seven even drawers with feather veneer reserves and floral inlay, quarter veneer strung panels to the sides, bold high hipped edges fl
A transitional style tulipwood marquetry chest, early 20th century, with a serpentine mottled yellow ochre marble top above five drawers of conforming profile with reserved and floral inlaid panels, feather banded panels to the sides, bold hipped edges and
A Louis XV style tulipwood semainier, early 20th century, with a serpentine cream marble top above seven full-width drawers with feather banded and inlaid reserves, hipped and curvaceous edges to splayed feet, with gilt bronze mounts and sabots, height 147
A Louis XV style tulipwood five drawer Chiffoniere, circa 1930s, with a mottled yellow ochre marble top of serpentine profile above floral inlaid and strung drawers, with a shaped apron and hipped edges flowing to short curvaceous legs, with gilt bronze mo