A highly attractive pair of late 19th Century gilt bronze and onyx cassolettes. The onyx cassolette pots raised on gilt bronze tripod decorated with raised faces and acorns exhibiting excellent hand finished detail
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Height: 25.5 cm
Width: 10 cm
Depth: 10 cm
Condition: Excellent Condition
Circa: 1890
Materials: Bronze & Onyx
SKU: 9167
ABOUT
Ormolu is the gilding technique of applying finely ground, high-carat gold–mercury amalgam to an object of bronze, and for objects finished in this way.The manufacture of true ormolu employs a process known as mercury-gilding or fire-gilding, in which a solution of mercuric nitrate is applied to a piece of copper, brass, or bronze; followed by the application of an amalgam of gold and mercury. The item is then exposed to extreme heat until the mercury vaporizes and the gold remains, adhering to the metal object.
This process has generally been supplanted by the electroplating of gold over a nickel substrate, which is more economical and less dangerous.
