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$27,500
Pair of Large Antique Ottoman Moorish Abalone, Mother-of-Pearl and Bone Inlaid Pedestals, circa 1880. An exceptional pair of large antique Ottoman Moorish pedestal tables, handcrafted in Turkey during the late 19th century, circa 1880. Distinguished by their architectural proportions and extraordinarily detailed mosaic decoration, these octagonal tables combine fruitwood, carved bone, iridescent abalone shell and mother-of-pearl in a richly patterned geometric composition associated with Ottoman and Islamic decorative arts. These are not tables decorated exclusively with fruitwood marquetry. Their value and rarity derive in large part from the extensive use of individually cut abalone, mother-of-pearl and bone. The abalone produces subtle flashes of green, blue, violet and silver as the viewing angle and surrounding light change. Mother-of-pearl provides a softer luminous contrast, while carved bone defines the intricate borders, geometric panels and repeating architectural motifs against the warm reddish-brown fruitwood. Each pedestal features an octagonal top surrounded by a raised molded rim. The top is supported by eight shaped legs, creating an elegant architectural silhouette and allowing the elaborate decoration to remain visible from multiple directions. The surfaces are ornamented with individually cut pieces of fruitwood, shell and bone fitted together through traditional mosaic inlay and marquetry techniques. The resulting interplay of color, texture and reflection is especially striking when natural light catches the abalone and mother-of-pearl. The decoration draws upon the geometric vocabulary found throughout Ottoman, Moorish and Islamic art, where repetition, symmetry and carefully balanced contrasting
