Louis XV Escritoire with Marquetry and Ormolu Decoration
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.
- 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.
- Marquetry - In marquetry inlay, contrasting woods, and other materials such as ivory, shell and metal are inlaid either as panels or in a single continuous sheet over the surface of the piece. The design may be straightforward, such as a shell pattern or a basket of flowers, or it may be infinitely complex, with swirling tendrils of leaves, flowers and foliage, such as one finds, for example, in the "seaweed" patterns on longcase clocks of the William and Mary and Queen Anne periods.
- Corbel - An architectural term for a support for a projecting bracket, ostensibly supporting a beam or horizontal feature, but used in bookcases, sideboards and chests as a decorative element. Corbels are often carved with acanthus or other scrolling decoration.
This item has been included into following indexes:
- chests of drawers, period - Louis style 481
-
chests of drawers, style
- marquetry 214
- three drawer 304
Visually similar items
A French kingwood parquetry decorated secretaire - abattant, the rectangular green marble top, above a frieze drawer, below a fall front, enclosing leather writing surface pigeon holes and small drawers below three drawers with parquetry decoration, on tap
A small Louis XV style oak bedside table, early 20th century. the plain top with bullnose edging above a single shallow drawer with a recessed panel to an open compartment and cupboard below with a shaped relief carved panel, a curvaceous apron and raised
George III mahogany kneehole desk of neat proportions, long frieze drawer, six smaller drawers, central cupboard, on bracket feet
A mahogany chest of eight drawers, 137 x 125 x 49 cm