A c.1890 Chinese Marble Topped & Gilded Hardwood Occasional Table

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Origin: Chinese
Period: Late Nineteenth Century
Provenance: Unknown
Date: c.1880-1900
Height: 24 inches
Diameter: 17.25 inches

The hardwood occasional table having a gadroooned inset marble top and pierced carved frieze of lotus blossom flowers, the legs with dragon masks and joined by stretchers standing on  ball and claw feet, the whole later gilded, survives from late nineteenth century China.

The condition of the table cosmetically tired but structurally sound. The gilding is later though it is not recent, and as such it has natural chipping, cracking and wear whilst the veined pink rouge marble top is original though has some surface scratched to it. Structurally she is sound aside from one section of frieze that is ever so slightly loose. The carcass itself underneath the gilding is most likely of rosewood or padouk.

Furniture produced in China from the 16th to the 19th centuries reflects a wealthy society that was full of formally while appreciating quality and style. This table falls into the category of the Guangzhou type of furniture (广式家具), which incorporated western influence and was formed in the 19th century. This style was characterised by the adoption of decorative mounts of marble as we see here, and the adornments of shells or shellfish, as two examples.

Beautifully proportioned, brilliantly decorative.
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