Coffee table - Cipollino

Low table in carved and gilded wood, green marble top - Louis XVI style, c. 1930–1950.

Object: low table / coffee table
Probable origin: Italy or France
Era: first half of the 20th century
Dating: c. 1930–1950
Style: Louis XVI Revival / Neoclassical
Materials: carved and gilded wood; top in veined green marble, probably Cipollino type
Dimensions: 45 × 102 × 52 cm

Rectangular low table inspired by Louis XVI, executed in wood extensively carved and gilded, crowned by a thick removable top of green and white marble, with strong longitudinal veining.

The top has a rectangular shape and a molded border, slightly protruding relative to the structure. The pale-green, white and gray coloration, marked by long parallel bands, visually approximates the stone to marbles commercially known as Cipollino green.

The waist is one of the most decorative elements of the piece. It presents a continuous ovolo guilloche frieze, formed by successive interlaced ovals and small vegetal scrolls. In the corners, the data about the legs are vertically hollowed and ornamented with classical motifs.

At the center of the front appears a carved and pierced apron, with a symmetric composition of acanthus leaves, volutes and palmettes, terminating below in a small pendant motif.

The four legs are straight and circular in section, characteristics of the Louis XVI language. Each features a very elaborate upper zone, with a large leaf-capital and ovate motifs, followed by a decorated body with acanthus. The shafts are vertically fluted, ending in rigid leaf or lancet-shaped elements and small circular carved feet.

The entire piece is fully gilded, retaining a pronounced patina, with wear and darkening at various points that partially reveal the preparation and the underlying wood.

The construction visible after removing the marble shows a rectangular frame reinforced transversely, prepared to receive and support the heavy stone top.

The decorative language is unequivocally neoclassical: straight, fluted legs, guilloche, acanthus leaves, strict symmetry, palmettes, and an architectural structure are elements of the Louis XVI repertoire.

There are Louis XVI Revival tables from the late 19th century with pierced guilloche friezes, narrowing legs, and similar acanthus leaves; a late 19th/early 20th-century example is described precisely with pierced guilloche frieze and fluted legs wrapped by acanthus.

Condition: in good condition, with signs of use compatible with age.