Cantonese bowl on French ormolu stand, mid-19th century, the porcelain bowl of shell form, hand painted with flowers and butterflies on a pale celadon ground, the ormolu base stamped 'H. Picard, height 6.10 in. length 10.24 in.
- Ormolu - Ormolu was popular with French craftsmen in the 18th and 19th century for ornamental fittings for furniture, clocks and other decorative items. True ormolu is gilt bronze, that is bronze that has been coated with gold using a mercury amalgam. Due to the health risks associated with using mercury, this method of creating ormolu was discontinued in France in the 1830s. A substitute was developed consisting of about 75% copper and 25% zinc, however it was inferior to the bronze version. It was often lacquered to prevent it tarnishing.
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