19th C German Louis XVI Style Ormolu Mounted Marble Top Table by August Forster

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This exceptionally elegant German Louis XVI-style bronze and marble table, made by August Förster in the late nineteenth or early … Read more This exceptionally elegant German Louis XVI-style bronze and marble table, made by August Förster in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, demonstrates the extraordinary popularity of French eighteenth-century design among the finest European decorative-arts manufacturers of the period. Combining a richly figured marble top with contrasting dark supports and elaborate gilt-bronze, or ormolu, mounts, the table is conceived as a luxurious accent piece in the sophisticated Neoclassical taste associated with the reign of Louis XVI.

The table is surmounted by a finely figured oval marble top, apparently of Brèche Violette (Breccia Violetta), a highly decorative marble prized for its dramatic coloration. The stone displays a complex mixture of violet, mauve, burgundy, rose, cream, and gray veining, creating an almost painterly surface. Its richly variegated character provides an effective contrast to the disciplined symmetry of the table's architectural bronze framework. The marble is enclosed within a narrow gilt-bronze gallery or molding that crisply defines the oval silhouette and gives the top a jewel-like finish.

Immediately beneath is a broad frieze composed of a dark ground embellished with a continuous ormolu garland of scrolling foliage, leaves, and flowers. This delicately modeled ornament is framed above and below by gilt-bronze moldings. Prominent foliate blocks positioned above the legs visually anchor the frieze and reinforce the table's carefully balanced construction.

The term ormolu refers to finely cast bronze ornament traditionally finished with a brilliant gold surface. Such mounts were among the defining luxuries of eighteenth-century French furniture and were revived with exceptional enthusiasm during the nineteenth century. On this table, the gilt bronze is not merely applied decoration but an essential part of the design, providing a luminous counterpoint to both the dark supports and richly colored marble.

The table is raised on four exceptionally slender dark cylindrical supports, each entwined with delicate gilt-bronze climbing vines and leafy tendrils. Their naturalistic movement provides an elegant contrast to the strict verticality of the legs. Gilt-bronze capitals, collars, and lower fittings further articulate the supports. Below, the legs terminate in beautifully modeled gilt-bronze feet of distinctly classical inspiration.

A particularly sophisticated feature is the elaborate stretcher system joining the legs near the base. Gracefully curved gilt-bronze members sweep inward toward a circular central ornament modeled with concentric bands of classical foliage and surmounted by a sculptural finial. This central element gives visual weight to the otherwise delicate lower structure while emphasizing the symmetry fundamental to the Louis XVI aesthetic.

The table's Louis XVI style is expressed through its restrained oval geometry, slender proportions, classical symmetry, floral garlands, foliate ornament, and disciplined use of gilt bronze. Rather than the asymmetrical curves of the preceding Rococo period, the design looks toward antiquity and the refined Neoclassicism fashionable in late eighteenth-century France.

Produced by August Förster, the table represents the exceptional quality of German decorative furniture made for an affluent international clientele around the turn of the twentieth century. With its striking Brèche Violette marble, finely cast ormolu, dark contrasting supports, and graceful Neoclassical proportions, it is both a highly decorative furnishing and an impressive expression of the enduring European fascination with the elegance of the Louis XVI period.


Dimensions: 29.75 inches High x 23.75 inches wide x 14.75 inches deep See less