Alabaster pedestal table with marble marble marble marble tray, 16th century

An Italian alabaster pedestal table with a circular marquetry top in various types of marble, featuring a radiating pattern in shades of gray, ochre, and white. The top is inspired by a 16th-century style of decoration in which tabletops were primarily decorated with geometric motifs, excluding flowers and animals. Here, it is highlighted by a gray marble border and a yellow marble band. The center of the tabletop is adorned with a rosette and a radiating pattern. These geometric designs would give way, in the following century, to figurative motifs of birds and plants. This charming pedestal table rests on a slender, fluted base with rings. Circa 1830

The taste for marquetry of marbles and hard stones in Italy

The taste for hardstone mosaics and marble marquetry was very pronounced in Italy during the Renaissance. Imposing tables and pedestal tables crafted using this technique were found in the collections of prominent families such as the Medici and the Farnese. These sumptuous decorations incorporated a multitude of stones and marbles, including serpentine, Aswan granite, and porphyry. The genre originated from the admiration of 16th-century individuals for the antique marble pavements and wall coverings discovered in Rome. The hardstone mosaics and marble tables created in Florence were exceptional pieces that, from the late 16th century onward, captivated all of Europe. They were widely imitated both in Italy and in other European countries.

Condition report: In good overall condition, with some chips to the marble.