An ormolu and malachite Empire-style round caryatid centre table

This large and impressive centre table is a remarkable work of craftsmanship, combining a variety of materials, styles, and inspirations to create an exceptional display piece that is second-to-none. An 'Aux Caryatides' Empire style piece, it takes its model from the work of François-Honoré-Georges Jacob-Desmalter, the principle supplier to the Emperor, and thus one of the finest French makers of the nineteenth century, whose work exemplified the spirit and grandeur of Empire style pieces.

This work features a group of four Caryatids supports holding the table surface with profiled bronze border, standing on a smaller circular base. In between there stands a campagna vase in the Medici style with a frieze of nymphs dancing in a circle. A wonderful floral frieze decorates the black rim just below the upper suface, and the gilding is extensively and intricately carved. The presence of the Caryatids, finely modelled and typical of Desmalter, and the Classical frieze on the vase attests to the strong Classical influences on the French Empire style, elevating it and giving it an appropriate level of sophistication, grandeur, and refinement for an Imperial setting. As both a decorative, practical, and impressive centrepiece, a work such as this is unmissable.