Venetian Center Table, Italy, 2nd Half Of The 19th Century

This gilded wood center table is inspired by decorative and architectural motifs of the Trecento, the Italian pre-Renaissance of the fourteenth century. With a beautiful and molded quatrefoil top adorned in centering gold edged cartridges, with hand-painted under glass decoration motifs in imitation of half-precious stones such as agate, lapis lazuli or malachite on a porphyry imitated background. Around the frieze, the architectural-shaped foot and base, further elegant cartridges inspired by the Renaissance style scalloped edged “cuirs découpés”, are decorated with glass painted cabochons imitating other stones.

This Venetian table made in the second half of the nineteenth century, is reminiscent of the Italian Trecento and Venice itself, where a strong Gothic tradition tinged with local originalities then produced masterpieces. All the criteria are met here : gold, light through glass and half-precious stones.