A Superb Pair of Porphyry Top Rococo Console Tables
In the Louis XV Style
Each console table surmounted by a striking serpentine porphyry top with moulded edges, the tables of carved giltwood designed in the exuberant ‘rocaille’ style incorporating shell motifs, stylised foliage and floral sprays, the scrolled legs joined by a stretcher centred with a carved open pomegranate.
French, circa 1880
This pair of tables are undoubtedly based on earlier designs of the Régence period as it transitions into fullblown Rococo during the 1730s & 1740s. The symmetry of the design is measured and balanced, relating closely to Rocaille furniture by the great designer Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier, as seen in his study for a table published in 1748.
The unusual presence of the pomegranate in combination with flowers are symbolic of abundance, which can be seen in a small body of French Louis XV era furniture, including the seating furniture by the Cresson dynasty and a console table from the collection of the Marquis de Lestrange (sold Christie’s, Paris, 13 December 2006, lot 199). It is worth noting a console table delivered by Beurdeley for the Duc d’Aumale at Château de Chantilly in 1846 equally carved with pomegranates.
Porphyry, a hard igneous rock prized since ancient times for its beauty, experienced a revival in 19th-century decorative arts as part of the broader historicist movement. This vibrant, often purple-red stone was incorporated into high-end furniture as inlays or tabletops, crafted into vases, urns, and architectural elements, and used for small luxury objets d’art. Favoured by royalty and nobility, porphyry’s use in decorative arts carried connotations of imperial power and luxury, drawing on its historical associations. Notable examples include a porphyry top table by Adam Weisweiler today at the Musée Nissim de Camondo, and pieces by renowned furniture makers like Henry Dasson.
Provenance:
Christie’s London, 25 February 1999, lot 48
Comparative Literature:
Mestdagh, Camille, and Pierre Lécoules. L’ameublement d’art français 1850-1900. Paris: Éd. de l’Amateur, 2010, p.19, illustrating a related console table by Beurdeley.
Pallot, Bill G. B. The Art of the Chair in Eighteenth-Century France. ACR-Gismondi, 1989, p. 118, illustrating related seating furniture by the Cresson dynasty.
Excellent condition
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