Antique Serpentine Louis XIV Style Boulle Work Credenza

Stunning 19thC Antique Serpentine Credenza in the style perfected by the master French cabinetmaker André Charles Boulle (1642 – 1732). Boulle Work is a type of rich marquetry that involves veneering furniture and inlaying with tortoiseshell, pewter and arabesques of brass.
 
This piece has a beautiful worn patina, but is by no means perfect. The ebonised wood has a few cracks here and there, and some of the marquetry is either damaged or missing . Whilst the marble top is not original, it has age and is a pretty good marriage with the base. The brass ormolu is all intact, as is the original working lock and key. Overall is is solid and the back is original but has had some water damage in the past. Inside it has two removable wooden shelves. It has been carefully but very lightly restored, gently cleaned, treated and then waxed for protection.