Giltwood and green-painted center table set with scagliola top depicting a scene from the hunt, top from mid 17th-century, base ca. 1726, at Carlton Hobbs, New York. TEFAF Maastricht 2012

Scagliola top depicting a scene from the hunt in the manner of Jan Wildens, probably by the Fistulator Workshops, ca. 1726, at Carlton Hobbs, New York.  TEFAF Maastricht 2012

The Renaissance technique of scagiola was applied with a mixture of paint and plaster, but finding scagiola tabletops in prime condition is highly unusual. The table on offer bears a woodland hunting scene and was reportedly made for Maximilian I of Munich. It’s priced at $470,000. “Lately, there’s been an incredible upswing for decorative material,” says Hobbs. One index is the fact that Hobbs now has 20 pieces out on approval.