Pair of Fine Quality Marble Top Giltwood Louis XVI Console Tables Circa 1870

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There are side tables… and then there are side tables that look as though they were waiting patiently in a … Read more There are side tables… and then there are side tables that look as though they were waiting patiently in a salon off the Boulevard Saint-Germain for someone important to set down a calling card.

This exquisite pair of French Louis XVI style tables is exactly that sort of furniture — poised, symmetrical, and unapologetically aristocratic. Crafted in richly carved giltwood and walnut and crowned with spectacular Breche d’Alep marble tops (often called Breche Violette for their dramatic veining), these tables are not merely decorative accents. They are architectural statements.

Let’s start at the top, because that marble deserves its own introduction. The Breche d’Alep marble surfaces display a breathtaking tapestry of rose, plum, and warm ivory veining — fractured, dramatic, and entirely natural. Each slab is like a frozen lightning storm in stone, polished to a luminous sheen. The marble’s depth and movement provide a glorious contrast to the disciplined neoclassical structure below.

Beneath the marble, the frieze is a masterwork of Louis XVI refinement. Intricately carved scrolling foliage and rosettes stretch across the apron, punctuated by classical symmetry. Delicately swagged garlands — carved and draped with theatrical confidence — hang between the legs, meeting at a central floral flourish that anchors the composition. The carving is crisp, dimensional, and alive with shadow play.

The fluted legs descend with elegant restraint, tapering gracefully and joined by a shaped stretcher centered with a carved urn motif. That urn, draped with carved laurel swags, feels as though it might once have held perfumed blossoms in a candlelit Parisian drawing room. The stretcher’s gentle curve adds both stability and visual rhythm, reinforcing the architectural balance that defines true Louis XVI design.

Gilt bronze mounts accent the structure with subtle brilliance — highlighting corners, enriching details, and adding that unmistakable Parisian gleam. The interplay between warm walnut undertones and radiant gilding creates depth and sophistication without overwhelming the eye.

From an SEO perspective, these are French Louis XVI style side tables, giltwood and bronze mounted console tables, Breche d’Alep marble top tables, neoclassical carved walnut tables — each phrase perfectly suited to collectors of fine 19th century French furniture.

But beyond terminology lies presence. Stand before this pair and you can almost hear the faint murmur of conversation, the clink of porcelain cups, the rustle of silk. They are symmetrical without being stiff, ornate without being ostentatious.

In short: furniture with posture. And perhaps just a hint of powdered-wig confidence lingering in the grain.

Measures 36 tall x 44.5 wide x 23 deep See less