Antiques M.S. Rau | The Manheim Marble Specimen Table

Among The Most Beautiful Examples Of Hardstone Artistry To Ever Enter Our Collection, This Monumental Baroque-Period Marble Specimen Table Is In A Class Of Its Own. Almost Certainly Assembled In France By Italian Artisans During The Reign Of Louis Xiv, Nearly One Hundred Rare Varieties Of Marble Comprise The Tabletop. Each Hardstone Inset Into The Table Would Have Been Precisely Measured And Inlaid By Artisans To Create The Resulting Geometric Pattern. Marked By Its Impressive Size And Rarity, The Table Is Among The Finest Hardstone Masterpieces Ever Created.

Formerly Showcased In The Jade Room Of Manheim Galleries Of New Orleans, Owner Abe Manheim Touted That France’S King Louis Xiv Sat At This Very Table On Many Dining Occasions, A Conceivable Claim Due To Its Unparalleled Beauty And Artistry. The Table, Which Measures Nearly 11 Feet In Length, Features A Stunning Array Of Hardstones Inlaid Within A Carrara Marble Ground. Approximately 86 Of The 97 Different Marbles Displayed In The Table Are Extinct, Including Portoro, Whose Quarry Was Reserved By The Vatican, And Griotte Uni, Whose Quarry Was Claimed By The Palace Of Versailles. The Exquisite Marble Top Rests Upon A Carved Oak Base In The Form Of Mythical Gryphons With Bronze Mounts, Likely Enhanced Or Changed In The 19Th Century. Hailing From A Period When The Acquisition Of Quality Marble Was A Pursuit In Which Only The Most Privileged Members Of Society Indulged, Specimen Tables Such As This Remain An Exclusive Rarity.

Carving In Stone Is One Of The Most Desirable Art Forms, One That Has Evolved And Developed Over The Course Of Human History. First Emerging In Antiquity, The Hardstone Arts Of Mosaic And Marble Inlay Were Reinvented During The Renaissance In Both Florence And Rome By Pietre Dure Artisans. Thanks To The Grand Tour Of The 18Th And 19Th Centuries, Hardstone Creations Such As This, And The Florentine Craftsmen That Created Them, Gained Popularity Throughout Europe.

Marble Top: Late 17Th Century
Base: 19Th Century

30 3/4“ High X 130 3/4” Wide X 69 3/8“ Deep

Provenance:
Manheim Galleries, New Orleans, 1934-2001
M.S. Rau, New Orleans
Private Collection, Gulf Breeze, Fl
M.S. Rau, New Orleans
Private Collection, Dallas, Tx
M.S. Rau, New Orleans