The table top, made by Salviati & Co., set on a black
Belgian marble base, is decorated with glass elements of different types,
melted in a furnace, cut and polished when cold. The pattern shown is taken from
a decorative motif found in various Venetian buildings and which is also found
on the floor and walls of the Basilica of San Marco.
In the context of the experimental revival of traditional
techniques that marks Murano production in the mid-nineteenth century, this
table attempts to simulate ,using glass, the effect of an inlay of
semi-precious stones and marbles, typical of the workshops in the Grand Duchy
of Florence. This
technique did not immediately appeal to the Italian market but was very popular
in English-speaking countries