Earlier this week, I highlighted an ebonized table with mother-of-pearl inlay indicative of the resurgence in English furnishings of the Eighteenth Century French Chinoiserie style. Also popular in the early stages of the Victorian period, was a return to “Orientalism” (a focus on the designs of Asian art) during this era in which Naturalism was revered.
This large bowl (measuring 21 inches in diameter), circa 1850, is English in origin. Carved from one continuous piece of natural ebony, the interior of the bowl features a scene of bas relief peacocks amidst a field of flowers. The birds and the landscape have been carefully inlaid with Mother-of-Pearl. A fine example of the Naturalist style and a nod to Chinoiserie, the bowl was designed for purely decorative purposes and would have been displayed—as it is today—as a wall hanging. It’s really a remarkable piece of craftsmanship and an interesting relic of a time when the beauty of nature was held in high esteem.
This large bowl (measuring 21 inches in diameter), circa 1850, is English in origin. Carved from one continuous piece of natural ebony, the interior of the bowl features a scene of bas relief peacocks amidst a field of flowers. The birds and the landscape have been carefully inlaid with Mother-of-Pearl. A fine example of the Naturalist style and a nod to Chinoiserie, the bowl was designed for purely decorative purposes and would have been displayed—as it is today—as a wall hanging. It’s really a remarkable piece of craftsmanship and an interesting relic of a time when the beauty of nature was held in high esteem. 
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