Gazette Drouot logo print

Rome, circa 1830, mahogany pedestal table with...

Price Tax incl.:
58000 EUR

Rome, circa 1830, mahogany pedestal table with marble-inlaid top, antique glass and micro-mosaics Mahogany and mahogany veneer pedestal table White marble top inlaid with marble samples, hard stones, antique glass tesserae around a Roman micro-mosaic Rome, Italy, first third of the 19th century Probably by Francesco Sibilio Total height: 77 cm. Tray thickness: 4 cm. Tray diameter 94.5 cm. Important pedestal table composed of : - circular top in white Carrara marble inlaid with a band of "sea green" marble and 84 hard stone samples, separated by black marble shelving. In the center, a Roman micro-mosaic depicting a deer being chased by a dog, surrounded by tesserae in blue and yellow pâte de verre and two circles in pieces of glass: reticelli, murrina, millefiori" dating from the Hellenistic period 1st century BC - 1st AD - Carved mahogany base with gadrooned belt and corolla-shaped shaft supported by an octagonal molded base. Among the samples: Porphyry, agate, lapis lazuli, malachite, jasper, portor marble, grand antique, brocatelle, granite, alabaster... Some samples, such as cipolin, red porphyry from Egypt or green porphyry from Greece, come from quarries that have been depleted since antiquity. Historical background The materials and techniques used to make our pedestal table are part of a series of furniture and objects produced in Rome in the first half of the 19th century as a result of the infatuation with antiquity and excavated objects. Marquetry or marble sample trays became a specialty of Roman workshops, thanks in part to the continuous arrival of antique marble from excavations, and in part to wealthy travelers and scholars visiting Rome as part of the Grand Tour. Several Roman craftsmen specialized in the manufacture of marble objects, particularly table tops/heirlooms inlaid with marble, hard stone or micro-mosaic samples or marquetry. Among his craftsmen Francesco Sibilio specializes in antique glass marquetry, the technique featured on our tray. He is also the first craftsman to combine antique glass tesserae with marble samples on his trays. Francesco SIBILIO Francesco Sibilio was not only a marble artisan, but also an antiquarian and dealer in antique marble and glass paste. It is assumed that he trained at the renowned Studio del mosaico dell Reverenda Fabbricca di San Pietro, founded around 1756 under papal protection. Micro-mosaics were introduced to the studio in 1795, after having been rediscovered some 25 years earlier. The success of micro-mosaic objects was immediate. Jewelry, boxes of all kinds and small paintings were all the rage. The successes depicted were frequently from antiquity, representing capricci, Roman ruins, the Colosseum, the Temple of Vesta, the Pantheon, etc. At the beginning of the 19th century, Sibilio contributed to the development of this taste for collecting marble samples and inlays of hard or semi-precious stones on objects or furniture. The first half of the 19th century was the golden age for the study and collection of marble samples. Numerous collections were formed during this period, and Sibilio was regularly cited as a supplier (for example, in the sale catalog of the Francesco Belli collection to Count Stefano Karoly in 1842). An innovative technique Francesco Sibilio was interested not only in marble, but also in antiquities in the broadest sense. He was the first to combine micro-mosaics, marbles, semi-precious stones and antique glass tesserae, as is the case with our spectacular tray. He collected pieces of antique glass and repolished them to exploit their rich colors. His talent enabled him to give glass an appearance or depth akin to that of agate. Most of these fragments date from the 1st century BC to the 1st century AD. Some come from glass plates or inlays, originally intended to imitate marble or semi-precious stones such as porphyry or agates. Other fragments come from glass vases or crockery. These generally convex pieces were heated and flattened under a press before being reused. Close examination reveals that the glass pieces are held together with metal, which has the particularity of reflecting light and giving the glass an iridescent effect. More than any other, Sibilio has brought this technique to its apogee. In addition, the thick white marble top is hollowed out to accommodate the various materials, accentuating their depth. Related works: Only six trays are allocated with

Galerie Nicolas Lenté
2, rue des Saints-Pères
75007 Paris