Another finely carved and gilded frame is that of the screen on Plate XXX., which dates from the Regency. It is composed of shells and scrolls, and a monkey sits on the top of each upright. Unfortunately, the feet have been lost, and the screen is supported on ordinary blocks of wood. The covering is of the same period as the frame. It is brocaded silk, with flowers, leaves and peacock feathers.
The mirror was not the only ornamental wall-decoration that was made use of to carry candles. Sometimes the bracket that held a china ornament, or ornaments, was pressed into this service. The “console for porcelain,” by Pinaud (No. 4, Plate XXX.), is furnished with a sconce-arm on either side of the pedestal that supports the handsome piece of china, or vase. Another “console for porcelain,” also by Pinaud, appears on the same plate as No. 6. This is purely for decoration and has no branches for illumination. Upon it stand a beaker and two small cups. The chief decorations are the mascaron, which here seems to have horns, and a snake, which twists himself around the two scrolls, placed back to back, and threatens the mascaron with open jaws.
Another beautiful frame for a rich piece of porcelain is shown on Plate XXX., No. 5. This is a species of pier-table and is a fine example of Meissonier’s Regency work. The straining-rails form a kind of bracket for a china vase, while the shelves above afford opportunity for the exhibition of smaller treasures.
Another handsome piece of furniture for the display of porcelain is the _encoignure_ (No. 9, Plate XXXVI.), made to stand in the corner.
The tall _torchère_, or standing-candlestand, on Plate XXXI., No. 3, shows a well-balanced combination of the mascaron, scroll, shell and leaf.
Two superb examples of console-tables occur on Plate XXXIV. These are of carved and gilded wood. The full drawing is one of Cuvilliés’s designs, and shows a bewildering combination of scrolls as a background for the beautiful carving of flowers and leaves. In the foreground a dog attacks a very savage dragon, whose wings bristle with anger and who darts forth his forked tongue. The other frame, No. 1, is by Pinaud, and though far simpler, is quite as effective. The scroll is most gracefully combined with the shell, and here again we have the ear (see page 210), through which a winged dragon, with a most expressive face, has slipped himself. An early console support is shown on Plate XXXVI., No. 6.