The Rothschild Raffaelli Table
5th October 2022
A 200 year old table has fetched over £200,000 at auction in Salisbury, after being sold for perhaps only the second time since it was made.
The Italian micromosaic and marble table (Lot 225) was part of the £1.4million sale of selected contents from Exbury House in Hampshire. It was valued in 1918 for the equivalent of £3,500 and sold on 5th October for nearly 60 times that sum.
The metre high table is believed to have been made by Giacomo Raffaelli, the inventor of the micromosaic technique who also produced items of furniture for Napoleon Bonaparte at the turn of the 19th century. It was bought by Alfred de Rothschild during the 1800s for Halton House in Buckinghamshire, where it remained until being moved to Exbury around 100 years ago.
Four telephone bidders fought against a determined buyer in the room at the end of the 5 hour sale at Woolley and Wallis in Salisbury. Bidding opened at £35,000 and rapidly passed the conservative £40,000 – 60,000 guide price. The room buyer was successful at the final total of £200,000.
“The Rothschild family have long had a well-deserved reputation for sourcing exceptional pieces from high quality and talented craftsmen,” said specialist Mark Yuan-Richards, who was handling the auction. “That is exemplified by this piece of finely detailed craftsmanship by one of the leading artists of the time.”
Other highlights of the auction were an 18th century Chinese cloisonné cong vase at £75,000 (lot 172); a pair of Louis XV ormolu fire dogs, similar to a pair at Waddesdon Manor, which sold for £62,500 (lot 22); a pair of Louis XVI rock crystal and ormolu candlesticks at £37,500 (lot 149); an Italian embossed parade shield from the 19th century, selling at £60,000 (lot 218), and an important pair of rosewood and ormolu-mounted tables at £65,000 (lot 226).
The sale concluded with a premium inclusive total of £1,390,875.
* Prices include buyer's premium at 25%.
