Italian Marble Marquetry Table

Italian gueridon table in 16th century style crafted of alabaster, with round marquetry top composed of several varieties of grey, ochre and white marbles featuring a radiant motif. It rests on a slender foot decorated with flutes. Italy, 19th century period. The taste for marble and hard stones marquetry The hard stones mosaic and marble marquetry tables were famous in Italy during the Renaissance. The Medici and Farnese palaces contained imposing tables with marquetry tops. These sumptuous decorations included a variety of stones and marbles such as serpentine, Aswan granite and porphyry. The birth of the genre in the late 16th century is due to the admiration for the antique marble pavements that were discovered then in Rome. The hard stone mosaics and marble tables made in Florence were exceptional pieces that fascinated Europe untill the 19th century and were widely imitated. A non-figurative top In the 16th century, the design of the trays excluded flowers and animals, and featured geometric motifs. The tray of our gueridon that is inspired by this decoration, is highlighted by edging in grey marble and a band of yellow marble. The center is decorated with rosette and radiating motif. In the 17th century, these geometric decorations were replaced by figurative motifs of birds and flowers. Circa :1830 Dim: W: 18,1 in – D: 18,1in – H: 32,3in. Dim: L:46cm, P:46cm, H:82cm.