18th century, Italian Baroque Lacquered and Gilt Center Tray Table

This baroque table in lacquered and gilded wood was made in Turin in the eighteenth century according to the characteristic taste spread in France during the era of Louis XIV.
The center table, finished on all four sides and therefore placed in the middle of a room, consists of a tray top and a structure with four arched legs connected between loco by a moving cross. The top was originally used as a tray on which to rest over dishes and glasses, removable and lifting thanks to the two side sockets and positioned, by the presence of four feet, above a table or console. Now screwed to its base for greater security and stability, it is still possible to predict the original use.
The tray has a moveable and mixed profile, with lateral sockets decorated by rich golden carvings in vegetable form with fan element, swirls, volutes and leaves. A carved frame follows the profile of the tray inside the support surface. In the center of the floor is depicted, by means of plaster cast in relief and gold that gives depth, a landscape with classic taste architectures and characters in noble clothes eighteenth century in a context embellished with details such as plants and small vegetation, animals, a fountain and, in the space of the sky, some flying swallows. This decoration fits into a space outlined by ornaments with volutes and curls and foliage elements, also made of cast and gilded plaster. In the band under the floor runs through the profile a repeated series of golden elements that simulate a fabric, called lambrecchini.
The legs originate from a large volute, on which rests the top, on whose protruding side are carved winged putti heads and leaf elements, which are taken up in other points of the legs. The feet are curly with acanthus leaves and the cross, in the central meeting point, is crowned by a large golden wooden sculpture composed of large leaves and flowers.
This tray table is particularly decorative and, thanks to the light color and gold leaf, very bright and valuable. Easily placed in a room between armchairs or sofas can also be placed near a corner, in a study or in an entrance.