19th Century French Silvered Bronze Three-Piece “Surtout de Table” Plateau

$5,800

About

Decorate a dining table with this important three-section antique “Surtout de Table”. Crafted in France circa 1830 and made of silvered bronze, the spectacular centerpiece is over four feet in length and oval in shape. It features three sections raising on stepped square feet, and decorated with a pierced frieze gallery of floral motif over the original mercury mirrored plateaus and wood parquet. The large Period Restauration “Surtout” is in excellent condition commensurate with age and use, and adorns a rich silvered finish. If needed, the middle rectangular piece can be removed and the outer sections placed together to create a smaller plateau. A Surtout de table is an ornamental centerpiece displayed on a formal dining table, “a large centerpiece with mirrored plateaus and numerous candelabra and other possible display pieces on top”. In French Surtout de table is the usual term for any type of centerpiece, but in English this “tray” type, along with the objects placed on it, is the usual meaning. Evolving from a simple plate or bowl on which to stand candlesticks and condiments, a Surtout de table often took the form of a long galleried tray made of precious or gilded metals, on which a series of other objects were placed for display. It was often made in sections allowing its length to be determined by the leaves added to the table. During the later half of the 18th century and throughout the 19th century, no formal table was considered compete without one. Today, they are still seen and used in the most formal dining rooms. 49″W x 22″D

Additional information