A fabulous hand made bespoke burr walnut and floral marquetry 14ft dining table.
It is made from burr walnut which has a beautiful grain and to highlight the grain it has been expertly French polished in our workshops.
The table has four leaves which can be added or removed as required to suit the ocassion by a special double wind out mechanism. When completely wound in and the leaves are all removed the table is transformed into a150cm( 5Ft ) diameter dining table. The table is raised on six elegantly carved legs that give the table its superb stability, and they terminate in brass cap castors.
The table features exquisite hand cut marquetry decoration and these regal decorations include bouquets of flowers, vases, swirls and geometric designs.
This table would also be appropriate for a conference room, but whatever its function, it will make a profound impact on your guests and will receive the maximum amount of attention wherever it is placed
Please note that the chairs in the photographs are not included in the price but are available to purchase if required.
Condition:
This is a new bespoke handmade table.
The making of a marquetry masterpiece
The making of a bespoke marquetry dining table involves many phases - carried out with the highest level of attention to detail - by third generation master craftsmen in our workshop in Italy.
First the design of the marquetry is drawn on paper.
The paper is then glued on to a sheet of plywood and the veneers are attached to the underside with pins.
There can be a maximum of 16 sheets of veneer. In this case, there are 8 for the burr walnut and 8 for the marquetry.
With a fret cutter, using a very fine blade, the marquetry is cut out, using the burr walnut and various coloured veneers to compose the flowers. Today we use an electric fret cutter, although in the 18th and 19th centuries the cutters were operated by treadles.
All of the cut out pieces of veneer are then placed on a large tray.
They are then singed by being placed in hot sand in a red hot crucible. This singed effect gives different shades to the various veneers, depending on how deep and how long they are left in the hot sand.
The various items of veneer are then inserted into the burr walnut one by one. After they are inserted, tape is placed over them to keep them in place. They are then turned over and a sheet of glued paper is placed over them all, after which the tape can be removed.
The prepared solid mahogany table is then veneered with mahogany - twice on the under side, horizontally and vertically, and then once on the top side.
The prepared marquetry and burr walnut sheet is then placed on top and the whole table top is placed into a hot press, which glues the sheet to the top.
The backing paper can then be sanded off.
The table top is then veneered 4 times to prevent the top from bowing or warping.
Once the assembly is complete, the table is French polished by hand using natural products, resulting in a stunning bespoke masterpiece of marquetry.
Dimensions in cm:
Height 79 x Width 430 x Depth 150-Fully extended
Height 79 x Width 150 x Depth 150-With all leaves removed
Dimensions in inches:
Height 2 foot, 7 inches x Width 14 feet, 1 inch x Depth 4 foot, 11 inches-Fully extended
Height 2 foot, 7 inches x Width 4 foot, 11 inches x Depth 4 foot, 11 inches-With all leaves removed
Our reference: A1203
Walnut & Burr Walnut
Walnut is a hard, dense, tight- grained wood that polishes to a very smooth finish. It is a popular and attractive wood whose colour ranges from near white in the sapwood to a dark hew in the heartwood. When dried in a kiln, walnut wood tends to develop a dull brown colour, but when air-dried can become a rich purplish-brown. Because of its colour, hardness and grain, it is a prized furniture and carving wood. Walnut veneer was highly priced and the cost would reflect the ‘fanciness' of the veneer – the more decorative, then the more expensive and desirable.
Burr walnut refers to the swirling figure present in nearly all walnut when cut and polished, and especially in the wood taken from the base of the tree where it joins the roots. However the true burr is a rare growth on the tree where hundreds of tiny branches have started to grow. Burr walnut produces some of the most complex and beautiful figuring you can find.
Walnut "burrs" were often used to make fabulous furniture. Veneer sliced from walnut burl is one of the most valuable and highly prized by cabinet makers and prestige car manufacturers and is also a favourite material for shotgun stocks.
Inlay was commonly used in the production of decorative burr walnut furniture, where pieces of coloured veneers are inlaid into the surface of the walnut, adding delicate or intricate patterns and designs. Inlays normally use various exotic veneers, but other materials such as mother-of-pearl, brass or bone were also be used.
Marquetry
is decorative artistry where pieces of material (such as wood, mother of pearl, pewter, brass silver or shell) of different colours are inserted into surface wood veneer to form intricate patterns such as scrolls or flowers.
The technique of veneered marquetry had its inspiration in 16th century Florence. Marquetry elaborated upon Florentine techniques of inlaying solid marble slabs with designs formed of fitted marbles, jaspers and semi-precious stones. This work, called opere di commessi, has medieval parallels in Central Italian "Cosmati"-work of inlaid marble floors, altars and columns. The technique is known in English as pietra dura, for the "hardstones" used: onyx, jasper, cornelian, lapis lazuli and colored marbles. In Florence, the Chapel of the Medici at San Lorenzo is completely covered in a colored marble facing using this demanding jig-sawn technique.
Techniques of wood marquetry were developed in Antwerp and other Flemish centers of luxury cabinet-making during the early 16th century. The craft was imported full-blown to France after the mid-seventeenth century, to create furniture of unprecedented luxury being made at the royal manufactory of the Gobelins, charged with providing furnishings to decorate Versailles and the other royal residences of Louis XIV. Early masters of French marquetry were the Fleming Pierre Golle and his son-in-law, André-Charles Boulle, who founded a dynasty of royal and Parisian cabinet-makers (ébénistes) and gave his name to a technique of marquetry employing shell and brass with pewter in arabesque or intricately foliate designs.
Antiques.co.uk Ref: ND7WC65NY
- Width (cm):
- 430
- Height (cm):
- 79
- Depth (cm):
- 150
Here on antiques co uk we love antiques and specialise in selling antiques. Even though this item was for sale and is now sold or otherwise now unavailable we have many more items for sale including vintage antiques, silver, tables, watches, jewellery and much more for your interiors and home.
Search all the antiques currently for sale on www.antiques co uk. Or why not consider selling your antiques and making sales more easily with us!
