Object Description
A gorgeous antique French ormolu mounted burr walnut library table, circa 1870 in date.
Featuring king wood banding, the shaped top with an inset gold tooled green leather writing surface and decorative ormolu mounts, this table is sure to get noticed wherever it is placed.
It has a capacious drawer in the frieze, stands on elegant cabriole legs, and is finished on all sides so that it can stand freely in the centre of a room.
Condition:
In really excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned, polished, waxed and releathered in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation.
Dimensions in cm:
Height 76 cm x Width 114 cm x Depth 65 cm
Dimensions in inches:
Height 2 foot, 6 inches x Width 3 foot, 9 inches x Depth 2 foot, 2 inches
Burr Walnut
refers to the swirling figure present in nearly all walnut when cut and polished, and especially in the wood taken from the base of the tree where it joins the roots. However the true burr is a rare growth on the tree where hundreds of tiny branches have started to grow. Burr walnut produces some of the most complex and beautiful figuring you can find.
Ormolu – (from French ‘or moulu’, signifying ground or pounded gold) is an 18th-century English term for applying finely ground, high-carat gold in a mercury amalgam to an object of bronze.The mercury is driven off in a kiln leaving behind a gold-coloured veneer known as ‘gilt bronze’.
The manufacture of true ormolu employs a process known as mercury-gilding or fire-gilding, in which a solution of nitrate of mercury is applied to a piece of copper, brass, or bronze, followed by the application of an amalgam of gold and mercury. The item was then exposed to extreme heat until the mercury burned off and the gold remained, adhered to the metal object.
Our reference: A4633