Antique Victorian Papier-Mâché Pedestal Table | Mother of Pearl Inlay |25'' H

Details

Description

A truly spectacular piece of Victorian decorative art — a genuine 19th-century papier-mâché pedestal table featuring lavish mother of pearl … Read more A truly spectacular piece of Victorian decorative art — a genuine 19th-century papier-mâché pedestal table featuring lavish mother of pearl inlay, hand-painted floral decoration, and rich black lacquer with gilt scrollwork throughout. This is a museum-quality example of one of the most celebrated furniture forms of the Victorian era, produced in England between approximately 1840–1870.

Features:

Scalloped shaped top with stunning hand-painted bouquet of roses, ranunculus, and wildflowers incorporating iridescent mother of pearl inlay throughout
Border of mother of pearl pieces set into the black lacquer around the entire top
Gold gilt scrollwork and arabesques decorating the pedestal column and lobed base
Classically turned baluster pedestal column with gold foliate decoration
Lobed/scalloped base with gilt Gothic-style arch and floral motifs
Three small scrolled feet
Rich black lacquer throughout — the quintessential Victorian papier-mâché finish

Dimensions:

Height: 25"
Top: 25" x 20"

Condition: Antique — age-appropriate wear including some crazing to lacquer surface, minor losses to some mother of pearl pieces, and general patina consistent with 150+ years of age. The painted decoration and overall structure remain impressive and intact.

This is a significant antique piece highly sought by Victorian furniture collectors, antique dealers, and interior designers. Papier-mâché furniture of this quality and scale is increasingly rare on the market.







Victorian papier-mâché furniture represents one of the most technically ambitious decorative arts movements of the 19th century — the Birmingham workshops of Jennens & Bettridge transformed a humble material into furniture of remarkable delicacy, using mother of pearl, gold leaf, and painted scenes to create objects that rivaled the finest lacquerwork from the Orient.

This tilt-top pedestal table, lacquered in deep black and inlaid with mother of pearl in floral and foliate patterns, is a fine surviving example. The tilt mechanism — designed so the table could be stored upright against a wall — remains functional, and the central column and tripod base are proportionally elegant. The mother of pearl catches light differently with every shift of angle: white, then blue, then gold.

These tables are sought by collectors of Victoriana and by interior designers working in eclectic, maximalist, or Aesthetic Movement interiors. They read as genuinely rare in a contemporary room. See less