Ormolu mounted Sèvres porcelain and ebonised wood side table

Ebonised wood table with Sèvres-style porcelain and ormolu mounts
French, 19th Century
Height 73cm, width 50cm, depth 41cm

Decorated with beautiful Sèvres-style porcelain panels, this elegant side table has a highly unusual shape and design.

A shallow porcelain dish is inset into the oval top, painted with fruit and floral sprays against a woodland background. The panel is surrounded by a gilded cartouche, and additional gilded bordering designs adorn the pale blue surrounding porcelain. The main panel is accompanied by four smaller confirming panels to each corner, also painted with floral imagery. The outer edge of the table is encircled by an additional gilt border.

Below the top hangs a shaped apron, applied with a pierced hanging gallery of tied swags and scrolling designs. Supporting the tabletop are four curving cabriole legs with hoof feet. The legs are joined by a central platform inset with a further floral porcelain plaque. An additional porcelain plaque is inset into the shaped base that supports the legs. The legs and base all feature similar gilt-bronze detailing to the tabletop, including rosettes and ribbon designs.

This side table is truly beautiful, with the contrast between the dark wood, shining gilt, and delicate porcelain particularly pleasing.