Gueridon with chess; Spain, c. 1840.

Gueridon with chess; Spain, c. 1840.
Marble, alabaster, hard stones.
Signed in the lower area of the envelope.
Measurements: 70 x 86 cm (diameter).
Table of historicist inspiration, with marble structure and round top decorated with marquetry of hard stones. The structure has a single leg that rests on a round foot on which the artist has simulated a set of leaves. Above it, a molded structure gives way to the only central leg of the base that also has ornamental elements of vegetal character. Finally, the tabletop has a central chessboard, decorated on its outer perimeter with floral compositions in a classical style, formed by pieces cut out and embedded in hard stones of different shades.
For centuries, hard stone furniture was considered the most luxurious and valuable piece of furniture, maintained in all collections and noble houses despite changes in fashion. This Renaissance technique had its origin in the discoveries of Roman archaeological remains, bringing the scholars of the time closer to the special taste for marbles and rare stones of imperial Rome. This Renaissance interest in the cult of rare and precious materials, which is identified with the Mannerist trend, led them, together with the latent desire to emulate classical Rome, to practice the art of "commesso", that is, the inlaying or inlaying of marbles and hard stones, which is none other than the Roman "opus sectile".