Taking a leap beyond the normal realm of George Bensley designs here, with this early Victorian-inspired buffet. Despite the period, its sophisticated black and gold has timeless appeal.

Hand-painted decoration in the most refined style adorns this pale blue ground and gilded demi-lune commode. Beneath its marble top three bowed cupboard doors display classical medallions and foliate and flower motifs, with moulded borders. The commode stands on gilded and reeded tapering legs.

All the carvers’ skills are on display in this showpiece. Its intricate design of garlands of flowers and fruit hang beneath a simulated marble top. The carved scroll legs continue the floral theme with chrysanthemums bursting out of all corners.

Companion piece to the similar armchair, the sofa has an arched back and further decorative touches are added to the acanthus wrapped reeded top rail, the scrolling arms are splayed, inviting you, and a friend, to linger on its comfortable stuff-over seat and upholstered back.

Displaying European stylistic influence, this handsome upholstered armchair is anointed with gilded decorative elements, from the acanthus scrolls stiff leaved collars to the legs, and lion’s mask terminals to the back rail.

Developing design features from preceding ages, this Victorian low stool has typical turned and fluted legs and an uncommon entrelac, woven effect, carved frieze. The stuff-over seat is covered in a bright floral pattern and contrasting cord.

This striking grained rosewood cabinet stands out with its green silk-lined brass grille doors and imposing broken, swan neck pediment. Its outline is picked out with lining and border decoration.

In common with the taller example, these low tables repeat the stack of books and hinged compartment within. Similar hand-painting is used to create the illusion with great success, in this case of a stack of leather-bound volumes. The base is in mahogany with turned tapered legs on bobbin feet.

This slender table has an intriguing design with a stack of three books concealing a hinged storage compartment. Its shaped and moulded legs feature a supporting lower shelf, and the books feature gilding, and hand decoration, down to the faux marbling on the leaf edge.

It’s not only gilding and rare marble that dazzles, as this intricate parquetry centre table shows. Built up from a multitude of geometric veneer inlays in contrasting tones from the different woods, its top has a radiating pattern centred on a star inlaid with faux ivory.

This tastefully restrained design has an air of the orient about its sweeping curves that is only emphasised by the combination of ebonised wood and gilded details. Its cane seat maintains the integrity and simplicity of the design, complemented by lightly turned stretchers and supports.

These hall chairs create an immediate impression as you enter the home. Distinctive in their traditional cream and green paint with hand painted armorial crest, they have a decorative shaped back and ring turned and tapered, painted front legs.

Showing a mix of flora, foliate and landscape illustration, this highly decorative worktable is constructed of ebonised wood with a concealed drawer on square taper legs. The hand worked illustration shows great skill and subtlety adding depth and lustre without the need for colour.

Caning offers delicacy to designs contrasting with fully upholstered furniture, adding lightness to interiors. This example, of unusual kidney shape, adds ornate design elements to its lightweight frame. Its laurel-carved top features ram’s head terminals with decorative frieze and carved legs.

Very much in the Italian taste, this serving table is raised on Tuscan-style columns in hand-painted marbled finish over pine. The top is in a richly figured marble.

Some furniture seems destined to dominate any interior. This breathtaking design combines a spectacular specimen and inlaid marble top with a glittering carved and giltwood fame. Two central medallions contain inlaid marble scenes of a warrior and his horse, surrounded by an olive and vine leaf border, again of inlaid marble. A staggering piece of work.

This virtuoso demonstration of craftsmanship is a stand-out piece in the George Bensley exhibition collection. Its scalloped carcase with three drawers is richly decorated in the oriental taste over black Japanning. The whole commode is augmented with cast ormolu decorations and topped in shaped and moulded marble.

The oval shield back of these French-inspired chairs seems designed purely to enable you to embrace them and help your guests to the table. With ribbon carved surround the hand nailing is repeated around the rails, supported on turned and fluted legs. These chairs are hand painted in pale grey to contrast with fabric seats and backs.

With almost fluid form, this graceful bergère seems ahead of its time rather than of a distant past. Its chanelled framed painted in pale grey sweeps from fluted legs around the rails, and around the sides and arched back. It is upholstered within the frame in plush jaune velvet.

The early eighteenth-century designer, architect, and gardener, William Kent, was among the innovators of the age developing many outstanding interiors and grounds. This expression of his ideas marries a glittering decoratively carved and substantial silvered frame with a specimen marble top.

Combining a collection of rare and beautiful specimen marbles within a trellis designed top, this table is an eye-catching hallway ornament or room centrepiece. The highly polished marble top stands on a parcel gilt frieze and unusually, six matching square taper cream painted and gilded legs.

This lacquered and hand painted table-top mirror stand makes a distinctive addition to your bedroom. Its floral and foliage decoration is over a yellow misted ground. The cabinet base contains one small drawer.

Developing design features from preceding ages, this Victorian low stool has typical turned and fluted legs and an uncommon entrelac, woven effect, carved frieze

It’s rectangular top displaying the beauty of European walnut, this coffee table sits on tapering turned legs with unusual knop decoration and x-frame stretchers.

Designed as a complement to the armchairs, this large format foot stool is a signal of a frankly louche interior. It stands on a forest of gilded spiral twist legs, surmounted by a parcel gilt frieze with hand painted decoration and stuff-over seat.

These smaller stools are more reserved in proportions, but no less flamboyantly styled. With matching gilt frames and fabric, they accompany the armchairs perfectly.

An example of the Chinese taste as the British saw it in the eighteenth century, this pretty games table with ivory hued decoration over black lacquer is a delight. Its four lower drawers and lockable top drawer might hold chess or chequers pieces when not in use on the hand painted top.

The lightening effect of gilded plaster, or gesso, and giltwood adds dramatic contrast to the verde marble top on this startling side table. With carved details of scrolling foliage and central scallop shell apron, the table rises serenely on cabriole legs with pad feet.

Like all pieces in this collection, this one demonstrates a wealth of craftsmanship. The top is of hand-painted faux marble, suggesting a selection of specimen stones surrounding a classical scene of a figure accompanied by cherubs.

This architectural mirror shows the influence of the grand tour generations on furniture design. With their heads full of ancient roman art and architecture, British noble families demanded classical styles for their homes.

One of the appealing features of period furniture is the unfamiliar sies or shapes that sometimes appear. This small sofa is slightly over square and all the more unusual and desirable for it. Fully upholstered in striking patterned fabric it sits on four cabriole legs, the front being carved with claw and ball feet.

The bergère is commonly thought to have woven cane sides and back, but it was originally conceived thus, upholstered. This is an elegant example of the style with its gilding contrasting with cream paintwork and distinctive spirally fluted arm supports.

Gold on black creates a striking effect in this delicate cane seated chair. The fine gilded lines of the penwork serving to make even its frame appear to be woven. An oriental village scene is depicted in the seat rails.

The classic D-end sofa table is completely reinvented with all over colour. Reminiscent of French country furniture, an eau de Nil central panel is surrounded with a floral and ribbon border, bursting with hand-painted roses, lilies and honeysuckle.

This classically styled and practical table combines Italianate motifs with a marbled and gilt lacquered finish that is sure to dazzle in any setting. Its ingenious telescoping mechanism extends and retracts the legs to accommodate two additional leaves of 600mm each.

These Italian styled armchairs add a touch of glamour to your living room or library, with parcel-gilt frame with carved and gilded details. Its upholstered back and stuff-over seat covered in classical fabric give it a distinct presence as do its spiral twist carved legs.

The top tier of this two tier cabinet rises on waisted turned supports to give the effect of its gently balancing above the base. Gilded lozenge details adorn the sides and back and in the centre front a finely detailed brass lion’s mask handle provides access to the cupboard.