An octagonal Derbyshire Black Marble table with Lapis Lazuli, attributed to Tomlinson

An octagonal Derbyshire Black Marble table with Lapis Lazuli, attributed to Tomlinson.

The top of this table is inlaid with a large wreath of British garden flowers, including predominately white stephanotis, lilac, carnations, lilies, roses, lilies of the valley, fuchsias and two sprays of bright blue forget-me-nots, all against a profusion of leaves, raised on a turned and gadrooned baluster support with a tripod base.  English, circa 1850. 

Height: 30½in (77.5cm) Diameter: 34¼ in (87cm)

Literature: John Michael Tomlinson, Derbyshire Black Marble, Ashbourne, 1996, p.61, shows a very similar table with a circular top exhibited at the Great Exhibition of 1851.  

Ashford marble, as it is sometimes called, is in fact a type of limestone rather than a marble, which turns a deep glossy black when polished.  Produced from only two quarries near Ashford-in-the-Water, Derbyshire, it was primarily used for expensive commissions.  Bess of Hardwick installed a chimney piece at Chatsworth as early as 1580 and William Spencer Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire (1790-1858) encouraged its revival after admiring Florentine work in Italy..  The stone became fashionable as a material for both ornaments and furniture after featuring at the Great Exhibition of 1851 in an exhibit sponsored by Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria.  

Dimensions

Price

This object is eligible for a Certificate of BADA Provenance