A Pair Of Marble Consoles, With Specimen Marble Tops

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A Pair Of Marble Consoles, With Specimen Marble Tops.

Each with rectangular specimen marble top inset with various marbles and semi-precious stones. The stepped edge applied with gilt-bronze foliate leaves joined by ribbon ties. The leg supports with ‘S’-shaped fronts and carved with a large acanthus leaf above shells. On spreading oblong feet with entrelac cast-gilt bronze surrounds.

Italy, Early 20th Century.

The marble tops are comprised of various specimen marbles including various breccia and brocatelle and semi-precious stones such as lapis lazuli and quartz. The placement of different stones reflects the antiquarian interests of the Grand Tour when visitors to Rome in the late 17th and 18th centuries would collect specimens of different marbles which had once been part of the temples and palaces of ancient Rome.

In turn enterprising Roman stone cutters, lapicidi, started using these desirable stones to produce such specimen displays, referred to as ‘studio’ work. The famous scholar Francesco Ficorini noted that one of first to be interested in the display of marble mosaics was Louis XIV. By the 19th century the technique was perfected by Alfonso Cavamelli who created radiating patterned table tops.

On the present pair of console tables the specimen marble panels are set within Campan Rubané marble surrounds. This distinctive red-striped grey-bodied marble is also used for the legs which are carved with baroque style leaves and shells.