Object Description
This is an elegant pair of antique Empire burr walnut and mahogany pier cabinets / serving tables, dating from the late 19th century.
They each feature rectangular verde antico marble tops above a full width frieze drawer. They are beautifully inlaid with mother-of-pearl lozenges and the drawers are fitted with the original ormolu laurel wreath handles. They each have two open undertiers with crossbanded shelves and they are raised on tapered block feet that terminate in ormolu sabots.
Add a touch of elegance to a special room in your home with this superb pair of antique pier cabinets.
Condition:
In excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned and waxed in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation.
Dimensions in cm:
Height 105 x Width 100 x Depth 50
Dimensions in inches:
Height 3 foot, 5 inches x Width 3 foot, 3 inches x Depth 1 foot, 8 inches
Walnut & Burr Walnut
Walnut is a hard, dense, tight- grained wood that polishes to a very smooth finish. It is a popular and attractive wood whose colour ranges from near white in the sapwood to a dark hew in the heartwood. When dried in a kiln, walnut wood tends to develop a dull brown colour, but when air-dried can become a rich purplish-brown. Because of its colour, hardness and grain, it is a prized furniture and carving wood. Walnut veneer was highly priced and the cost would reflect the ‘fanciness’ of the veneer – the more decorative, then the more expensive and desirable.
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.
Walnut “burrs” were often used to make fabulous furniture. Veneer sliced from walnut burl is one of the most valuable and highly prized by cabinet makers and prestige car manufacturers and is also a favourite material for shotgun stocks.
Inlay was commonly used in the production of decorative burr walnut furniture, where pieces of coloured veneers are inlaid into the surface of the walnut, adding delicate or intricate patterns and designs. Inlays normally use various exotic veneers, but other materials such as mother-of-pearl, brass or bone were also be used.
Our reference: A1594