Her Majesty’s Furniture: A Magnificent Jewel Casket, 1750

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Click image for larger size.

Jewel Casket
Florence
1720
The Royal Collection

Made in 1720 in the Grand Ducal Workshops of Florence by Giovanni Battista Foggini, this amazing jewel casket of Ebony, rosewood, hardstones, and gilt bronze came to the Royal Collection through unknown circumstances, possibly as early as the late Eighteenth Century, but probably via Queen Mary. With its intricate mosaic and ornate ormolu, this casket was the epitome of Florentine style.

Though assigned a practical use (holding jewels), the casket is now as valuable as the objects it once held.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Click image for larger size.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Click image for larger size.

The carved gilt wood stand with cabriole legs terminating in lions' paw feet is joined near the bottom by an X-shaped stretcher with a pine-cone finial  with rocaille motifs.  It is original to the piece.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Click image for larger size.

Her Majesty’s Furniture: The Sèvres Coffer and Table, 1824

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Via The Royal Collection Trust
THIS AND ALL IMAGES
Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Table and Coffer
French, 1824
The Royal Collection

Among the magnificent items purchased in Paris for King George IV by his baker, François Benois, is this gorgeous coffer and table of oak and ebony. What sets this apart from other similar pieces of furniture in the Royal Collection is the inclusion of nineteen porcelain panels by Sèvres. Set in gilt bronze the panels show: 4 pastoral scenes, 2 mythological subjects, 2 birds, 2 still lifes, a trophy and 8 trellis panels in gold on a blue ground.


Supported by four tapering legs with brass fluting, the table holds the coffer which is mounted with white marble and a pierced bronze gallery on three sides. This set was used in St. James Palace until the death of George IV when it was moved to Windsor Castle.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection

Her Majesty’s Furniture: The Sèvres Coffer and Table, 1824

Table and Coffer
French, 1824
The Royal Collection

Among the magnificent items purchased in Paris for King George IV by his baker, François Benois, is this gorgeous coffer and table of oak and ebony. What sets this apart from other similar pieces of furniture in the Royal Collection is the inclusion of nineteen porcelain panels by Sèvres. Set in gilt bronze the panels show: 4 pastoral scenes, 2 mythological subjects, 2 birds, 2 still lifes, a trophy and 8 trellis panels in gold on a blue ground.


Supported by four tapering legs with brass fluting, the table holds the coffer which is mounted with white marble and a pierced bronze gallery on three sides. This set was used in St. James Palace until the death of George IV when it was moved to Windsor Castle.

Object of the Day: Victorian Naturalist Ebony Bowl

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.