Exceptional Venetian grotto center table from the late 19th century. The silvered surface with brown overpaint imitates the iridescent sheen of marine life. The table stands on four legs shaped as stylized dolphins. An X-form stretcher connects the legs and features a sculptural underwater scene at the center, richly decorated with shell motifs. Venetian firms such as Pauly et Cie and Remi & Cie were particularly renowned for producing such grotto furniture. Comparable examples are held in the National Gallery Berlin, the Kunstgewerbemuseum Berlin, the MAK Vienna, the Victoria and Albert Museum London, and the Bavarian National Museum Munich. See: Bruce M. Newman, Fantasy Furniture, New York, 1989, pp. 60–64.

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