This pedestal table is a curiosity. Originally this mahogany table is clearly in Empire style. It is characterized by its central shaft and its 3-pointed-star tripod legs.
It seems that the tabletop had been “revisited” in the 1950s with the incorporation of a marquetry, or an inlay, of a multitude of different varieties of wood with rounded or oval shapes and including olive, plum and palm without ash, walnut and thuja (cedar).
The central motif in sycamore burl and all the applied motifs present an obvious shape that makes one think of a decor on actual pedestals.
Everything comes together marvellously to produce a decorative piece of furniture with a beautiful effect!
Besides the traditional sponge-applied varnish, the restoration work involved redoing a large mount of inlays in diverse types of wood. Approximately 6mm thick, they had obviously started working themselves loose. I had to dismount them and finely sand them before resetting them back in place.
