French Ormolu Display Cabinet with Walnut Inlay
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.
- Inlay - Decorative patterns inserted into the main body of a piece of furniture, generally in wood of contrasting colour and grain, though brass, ivory, ebony, shell and sometimes horn have been used. Inlay may consist of a panel of well figured timber inset into a cabinet door front, geometric patterns, or complex and stylized designs of flowers, swags of foliage, fruits and other motifs. As a general rule, in pieces where the carcase is constructed in the solid, the inlay is relatively simple such as stringing, cross banding and herringbone banding. Where more elaborate and decorative work was required veneer was used. Inlay has been fashionable from at least the latter half of the 17th century, when a variety of elaborate forms were developed
- Parquetry - Parquetry is inlay laid in geometric patterns, the contrast being achieved by the opposing angles of the grain and veneers. The herringbone pattern is the most commonly used in flooring, but this is almost never seen in furniture - the patterns used are more complex and unlike flooring, can include several different varieties of timber.
- Ormolu - Ormolu was popular with French craftsmen in the 18th and 19th century for ornamental fittings for furniture, clocks and other decorative items. True ormolu is gilt bronze, that is bronze that has been coated with gold using a mercury amalgam. Due to the health risks associated with using mercury, this method of creating ormolu was discontinued in France in the 1830s. A substitute was developed consisting of about 75% copper and 25% zinc, however it was inferior to the bronze version. It was often lacquered to prevent it tarnishing.
This item has been included into following indexes:
Visually similar items
Antique French credenza, with marquetry inlay and curved glass doors, 157 cm wide, 44 cm deep, 105 cm high
A French boulle and ormolu, three door credenza late 19th century. The credenza is decorated in the 'Boulle' style with pierced-cut brass and red tortoiseshell inlay, against a black 'ebonised' patinated finish. The cabinet is serpentine shape with a centr
An antique French oak credence in the Gothic manner, later 19th century, an architectural cornice above a cupboard with arrow point hinges and a steel lock flanked by panels relief carved with knight and monk style figures within arched Gothic niches, an o
Antique French Brittany single door carved oak cupboard, 155 cm high