Gilded Wooden Table with Malachite Top, 1830s

Table Top: Ekaterinburg Lapidary Factory 1836-7.
Base: St. Petersburg, late 1830s
Wood, serpentine, malachinte, engraving, gilding
Height 80 cm; Diam of top 71.5 cm

The technique of setting mosaics of malachite is one of the most remarkable aspects of the work of the Ekaterinburg Lapidary Factory. In the finest articles produced there, the pieces of facing stone created a distinctive rhythm that contributed to the overall decorative effect and is particularly seen in articles designated for the Imperial Court. Archival sources indicate that the work on the base of the table top (one of a pair) was begun 11 October 1836 and the finished tops were sent to St. Petersburg in September 1837 at a cost of 3,975 roubles.