Art Nouveau Pedestal in Scagliola

An Art Nouveau period baluster pedestal in imitation green marble and gilt bronze trim. The pedestal has a revolving top and is decorated with bronze fillets at the corners to emphasise its curved shape. The front of the pedestal is decorated with two plant knots with sinuous lines with a poppy flower on the top one. The whole rests on four small rectangular feet. The Art Nouveau movement was born at the end of the 19th century as a reaction to the numerous pastiches of the Louis XV and Louis XVI styles, which were very fashionable under the Second Empire. Wanting to find a completely new aesthetic, artists and craftsmen were inspired by nature and its sinuous forms to produce pieces in all fields of decorative arts and architecture. Scagliola is a technique dating back to antiquity, commonly practised in the 15th century and developed in Emilia (Italy) because of the lack of marble quarries in the region. It competed with expensive marble inlays. This decorative technique imitates marble and hard stone inlay to perfection. Its smooth and shiny appearance is worthy of the most prestigious marbles. The material is composed of fired and ground selenite (a variety of gypsum), back glue (animal glue) and natural pigments (oxides and minerals) to create a marble-like effect. Tray size 28 cm x 28,5 cm (11.02 in x 11,22 in).