2Nd Empire Period Fruitwood, Beech & Fior Di Bosco Marble Guéridon C.1860

The beautiful gueridon, of occasional table proportions, having a circular veined Italian Fior di Bosco marble inset top over a gadrooned, cartouche and leaf moulded frieze, the limed beech and fruitwood carcass formed of three beautifully carved dolphin supports to a triform base and surviving from the third quarter of nineteenth century France.

The table is in good overall order. There are light surface scratches and minor marks to the top, whilst the base has been bleached later to its inception. There are some small splits, minor breaks and historic strengthening and repairs throughout with some minor separation to the joints, notwithstanding she remains solid and stable and overall appears in good structural and cosmetic condition and is ready for use. The Fior di Bosco marble is an Italian stone prized for its subtle elegance and warm undertones.

A guéridon is a small, often circular-top, table supported by one or more columns, or sculptural human or mythological figures. This kind of furniture originated in France towards the middle of the 17th century. When they were first introduced in 17th-century Europe, guéridons were typically one-legged pedestals used as stands for candles or candelabra. They would often be placed on either side of a pier table or positioned in front of mirrors so the candlelight could be reflected and multiplied in the glass Guéridon was the name of a Moorish slave at Louis XIV's court, so some historians believe that therefore candle-stands were termed guéridons, and retained the name even when the forms changed.

By the time of the death of Louis XIV there were several hundred of them at Versailles, and within a generation they had taken an infinity of forms: columns, tripods, termini and mythological figures. Some of the simpler and more artistic forms were of wood carved with familiar decorative motives and gilded. Silver, enamel, and indeed almost any material from which furniture can be made, have been used for their construction. A variety of small occasional tables are now called guéridons in French.

A hugely decorative table that is not only a useable piece of furniture but also a standalone piece of sculpture.