Two ormolu and marble mounted pedestals after Riesener

The pedestals are of typical form, with tapering rectangular bodies. They stand on waisted rectangular bases with cantered corners, which are set on ormolu (gilt bronze) foliate peg feet. These bases are mounted on their fronts with rose wreaths, and with symmetrical foliate motifs on their corners. Above, each pedestal stands on four ormolu paw feet, which extend upwards in foliate bands, before terminating in scrolled brackets. The fronts and sides of the pedestals feature lozenge parquetry panels, enclosed within ormolu frames. The front panels are richly decorated with classical ormolu motifs, including lyres, crossed trumpets, flower vases, cornucopias, torches, flower swags, and scrolling foliage. The upper sections of the pedestals are ornamented with lozenge parquetry panels. Each pedestal is mounted, on its top front, with a mask of Apollo on a sun-burst motif, with crossed laurel branches below. The upper corners of each pedestal are decorated with ormolu laurel branches, and the sides mounted with ormolu foliate designs within rectangular frames. The tops of the pedestals are edged with ormolu egg-and-dart bands, and they are covered with white marble.

These pedestals are based on a design by the famous Parisian ébéniste, Jean-Henri Riesener (1734-1806). Riesener was the royal cabinetmaker to King Louis XVI and was a favourite of Marie Antoinette. He worked in a Neoclassical, or Louis XVI, style, and decorated his furniture with mahogany veneers, marquetry and parquetry work, and fine ormolu mounts. These pedestals are beautiful replicas of Riesener’s 18^th-Century design.

One pedestal: Height 149cm, width 53cm, depth 35cm
Second pedestal: Height 148cm, width 53cm, depth 35cm