Charles X Guéridon Side Table

A very fine and rare guéridon with an inlaid eagle with the motto of the French Revolutionary army Honneur et Patrie.
This Charles X french guéridon is remarkable in all its aspects: from the choice of wood bird’s eye maple, fruitwood marquetry, the fine bronzes, the evocative aspects, and not last from its sophisticated shape.
The gueridon was certainly have been made by a significant cabinetmaker atelier considering the execution quality and its elegance.

Honneur et Patrie
The 1804 emblem of the French Revolutionary Army portrays an eagle holding the lightning bolt with the circular motto: Honneur et Patrie with a crown on top, as in our gueridon.

The motto refers to the Legion of Honor as the highest French Order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul, with the law of 29 floral in the tenth year of the French Republic (May 19, 1802) to reward civil and military services.

The Order underwent various modifications with the change in the forms of government; in particular, after the fall of the second empire, the imperial crown was replaced in the decoration with a crown of gilded oak and the legend replaced with Republique Francaise. Perhaps, this guéridon was a present or commissioned from someone who received the Legion of Honor.

Charles X Style
The Charles X style lasted from 1818 to 1834 and took place during the Bourbon Restoration.
This style did not completely replace the furniture style of the French Empire, but it was different from the formalism of the Napoleonic era. The Charles X furniture is distinguished by the grand elegance of its forms, the judicious choice of light-coloured woods, and its manufacture’s high quality.

One of the most emblematic differences from the Empire period was light woods: cedar, maple, ash, sycamore, elm, lemon and holly are used in the veneers and characterize the Charles X furniture. The inlay surfaces were made using dark woods, such as amaranth, mahogany and rosewood to animate the furniture.

Bronze quality
Under the Restoration, the quality of the bronzers was generally very high, and they were used for fine furniture. Warlike motives were rare; romantic subjects were preferred, butterflies, and above all, natural flowers in dense garlands or light garlands.
Our guéridon’s bronzes are of superb quality, and the chiselling was carried out also for the less visible parts, as is possible to see from the image.