Antique French Louis XVI Mahogany Console Sofa Table With Carrara Marble

Details

Description

A French Louis XVI mahogany console sofa table elegantly appointed with gilt bronze, crowned by a top of white Carrara … Read more A French Louis XVI mahogany console sofa table elegantly appointed with gilt bronze, crowned by a top of white Carrara marble. Across the frieze, a continuous scroll of acanthus rinceaux unfurls in bronze, framed at either end by rosette mounted corner blocks, while a fine beaded bronze molding traces the edge just beneath the marble. The tapered legs are fluted and set with bronze, rising to bronze collars and finishing in bronze toupie feet. A lower shelf bordered by a pierced brass gallery is joined into the legs at rosette mounted blocks, strengthening the frame while keeping its silhouette open and light.
Louis XVI neoclassicism was born of a romance with classical antiquity, when the beauty of ancient Greece and Rome inspired a new ideal of harmony, balance, and grace. Fluted legs recalled the columns of ancient temples, acanthus scrolls echoed the friezes of Roman architecture, and gilt bronze ornament was applied with the delicacy of fine jewelry. During the 19th century revival of all French styles, and continuing into the Belle Époque, Parisian cabinetmakers celebrated the refined legacy of French furniture making by reviving and reinterpreting this timeless style, pairing the warmth of rich mahogany with the glow of gilt bronze for the most elegant salons and residences of the day.
Graceful proportions and a slender depth make the console ideal for an entry hall beneath a gilded mirror, flanked by a pair of lamps. It serves equally well behind a sofa in a formal living room, or as an elegant server in a dining room, where the lower shelf offers space for books, porcelain, or a collection of objets d'art.
Circa early 1900s.
Measures 35.5H x 47.5W x 15.5D
Available at Inessa Stewart's Antiques, Dallas Design District, Dallas, Texas. See less