Posted 7 years ago
Kayleemari…
(1 item)
Bought this at an estate sale, was told it is "Victorian". The top might be leather, and there is a glass cherub plate on the bottom tier. Any idea how old this is, or what it was used for? It is quite tall, about 32". Thank you for looking!
Welcome to CW :-D
What a beauty!
The top is certainly a kind of burl wood, not leather.
Is there any mark under the cherub plate?
Rather than Victorian, I think it is French, Napoleon III, reign era 1848/1870.
This is called a "guéridon":
GUÉRIDON, a small table to hold a lamp or vase, supported by a tall column or a human or mythological figure. This piece of furniture, often very graceful and elegant, originated in France towards the middle of the 17th century. In the beginning the table was supported by a negro or other exotic figure, and there is some reason to believe that it took its name from the generic appellation of the young African groom or “tiger,” who was generally called “Guéridon,” or as we should say in English “Sambo.” The swarthy figure and brilliant costume of the “Moor” when reproduced in wood and picked out in colours produced a very striking effect, and when a small table was supported on the head by the upraised hands the idea of passive service was suggested with completeness. The guéridon is still occasionally seen in something approaching its original form; but it had no sooner been introduced than the artistic instinct of the French designer and artificer converted it into a far worthier object. By the death of Louis XIV. there were several hundreds of them at Versailles, and within a generation or two 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 in French guéridons.(from Encyclopedia Britannica)
See one rather similar here:
http://www.guide-antiquaires.com/gueridon-tripode-d-epoque-napoleon-iii-1459-O
Wow thank you so much for sharing your knowledge! It is such a unique and detailed piece, I am so pleased to know a bit of the history! Upon further inspection, I agree with you the top is wood. There is a faded mark on the bottom of the plate, but I cannot read it. I will try to post a picture of it in the original description.
Well I cannot seem to add a photo of the bottom of the plate to my original post, so here is a link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9ED-dl1VN7HeFV4eUtPSmJoN1k/view?usp=sharing
Thank you kyra - you did a great job in your identification. The plate looks very unimportant, kind of spoils it as the table looks much better in quality, the sevres plate is poorly done when compared to sevres plates, and problably is just a transfer.
Do you think the plate was added later? What do you think was there originally?
I am not sure. It almost looks as if this plate fits perfectly ?? Something that needs more research as I an not there to look at the plate and table.
It does seem to fit perfectly, and I cannot see how it would be possible to remove it without damaging the table.