A pair of Napoleon III satinwood side tables or bedside tables, each of rectangular form with a marble top (repaired) surrounded by a brass pierced gallery, all above a single frieze drawer and three shelves, decorated throughout with unusual brass quadrant mouldings, 1860
The overhanging rectangular top with rounded corners veneered almost entirely in amboyna with a wide crossbanding of rosewood. Under the top is a narrow frieze, and the table is supported on two shaped end supports connected by a finely turned and carved stretcher and enriched with additional carved details, such as the floral paterae to the centre of each support and the leaf carved details at the tops. The leaf carving at the bottom of the supports is particularly elegant and has been parcel gilded. The table stands on beautifully carved winged claw and shell form feet which are rendered in great detail. With the exception of the gilded areas, the carved features have been crafted from contrasting, darker, timbers in imitation of bronze and to provide visual impact against the lighter amboyna.
Although tables of this basic form were a staple of all the great George IV and late Regency period cabinetmakers, there are various features of this table that make an attribution to Morel and Seddon appropriate. The use of amboyna became something of a trademark of the firm in the late 1820s due to the large numbers of pieces veneered in this timber made for the refurbishment of Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace for George IV. The slim frieze of this table, without any drawers, is a relatively unusual feature but is found on several of the Morel tables still in the Royal Collection such as
https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/12/collection/21910/writing-table
The carved feet and leaf supports also compare closely with their counterparts on this table, also in the Royal Collection.
https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/9/collection/29933/writing-table
This is a highly distinctive and attractive piece with all the quality one would expect from a piece attributed to the finest maker of this period.
A Fine Quality and Large Four Pillar Brown Oak Extending Dining Table, c.1900, This fine extending dining table has four pillars and, with the replacement extending leaves added, can comfortably seat a family plus guests for dinner. Seating 10 people at this table is very easy. The table utilises four pillars with relatively low extending supports, meaning that some of the space issues caused by sweeping, outspreading legs on George III and early George IV-type tables and their high knees are avoided with this clever and highly practical design. The table is also particularly sturdy and stable. The top is veneered with well figured brown oak of attractive colour and the whole design has elements of the British arts and crafts movement in it, suggesting a date of c.1900. The style of the table is particularly associated with some of the fine workshops operating in the Cotswolds area at this time.
This is a fine and unusual variation on the typical extending dining table and will be equally at home in a modern or traditional interior.
A Fine Pair of Late 19th Century Demilune Satinwood and Inlaid Side or Console Tables in the Neoclassical Style Attributed to Edwards and Roberts
This fine pair of neoclassical-style tables are of demilune, or semicircular, shape and veneered principally in satinwood. Large-scale panels of satinwood have been laid on the carcass of the frieze to give a segmented effect, which is very attractive. The tapering square-sectioned legs and contrasting spade toes are all classic Sheraton design features, being reused here a century later. The most impressive parts of the tables are undoubtedly the beautiful tops, with the central feature being an inlaid fan-shaped patera, centered by a smaller example of the same form with additional penwork foliage on it. This, in turn, centers on a semicircular feathered boss. Around the edge of the tabletops is a wide crossbanding upon which a repeating neoclassical design featuring penwork scrolling foliage and urns is delicately executed and highly attractive.
Footnote: The quality of the present tables indicates that they would have been produced in one of the leading workshops of the period. On stylistic grounds, the most likely maker is Edwards and Roberts. Particularly adept at producing furniture in the inlaid Sheraton style, the firm had an elite clientele and, as such, was able to make the finest furniture without cutting corners. For an example of a Carlton House table attributed to the firm, see this example at Kingston Lacy in Dorset:
https://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1254511
The inspiration for our tables was undoubtedly the output of the likes of Ince and Mayhew, their ex-employee William Moore of Dublin, and the royal maker William Gates, who all produced beautifully inlaid satinwood furniture in the late 18th century in a similar taste. The detailing on our tables is particularly reminiscent of Moore's work. Please see a fine demilune commode attributed to him in the V&A here:
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O60507/commode-moore-william/
A late Victorian pitch pine console table after Linnell, the rectangular top set upon a frieze carved with Vitruvian scrolls and surmounted by a painted faux marble top, all raised upon six powerful cabriole scroll legs carved with acanthus leaves on the knees above scale pattern panels. English, circa 1900.
Footnote: This six legged design relates to a group of 18th century tables that are now attributed to the maker William Linnell (1703-1763) and made around 1741. These tables exist in a number of very fine country houses, one having been pictured in Castle Hill in Devon by Country Life on 24th March 1934 for example. The reason for the attribution to Linnell is a documented table supplied to the Hoare family at Stourhead circa 1741 which has been identified with near certainty on a bill submitted by Linnell in 1742 and preserved in the family archives in Wiltshire, please see the National Trust collections object 731595.
Tables of this design seem to have always been highly prized. Consequently, versions of this model were also made in the 19th century, either to make matched pairs with 18th century tables or purely in their own right. Edwards and Sons of Regent Street advertised a pair in the magazine Old Furniture in February 1928 while a single dated 1820 was advertised by the dealer Carr van Cutsem in the Antique Dealer and Collectors' Guide, February 1973.
Often described as somehow Kentian in design, there is no known direct evidence that William Kent was involved in the design of these tables. However, William Linnell is known to have been involved in some of Kent's commissions and he may have taken influences from some of Kent's work when working on this series of pieces.
Published: Almost certainly the table advertised by Harry Meyer and Co in Arts and Decoration magazine, February 1931
This fine side table has been executed in the virtuosic George II late rococo style and has some affinities with the work of the likes of Paul Saunders of Soho who produced similar pieces for such important houses as Petworth, Hornby Castle and Grimsthorpe Castle amongst many others. The table consists of a wonderfully quarter veneered walnut top, resting on a plain apron which is centred by a beautifully executed scallop shell motif between two cornucopias. Beneath the frieze are more examples of rocaille carving with scrollwork and floral details. The legs have shell knees and more floral detailing and the very distinctive treatment of the lower legs, with fielded reserves and scroll feet, is very much in the Saunders style.
This piece certainly dates from around 1931 thanks to an advert placed in Arts and Decoration magazine by the Harry Meyers Company in the February 1931 issue. This advert features an identical table, almost certainly the present piece, and is illustrated here.
Harry Meyers and Company: Founded around the turn of the 20th century, a New York Times feature on the rising price of rents in Midtown, published in 1936, stated that one of the firms affected by these rent rises was 'Harry Meyers Company, a furniture-making firm which has been in West Fifty-second Street for more than twenty years'. The firm seems to have operated along the lines of the great decorating and antique dealing businesses of London such as White Allom and Lenygon and Morant. In the February 1931 advert which features our table, the firm stated that they were 'Manufacturers of furniture; Importers of antiques' and had premises at 136 West 52nd Street New York and 820 Tower Court in Chicago. The firm is known to have made and supplied furniture to countless important American commissions, including a number connected to the great Bauhaus architect Marcel Breuer, the papers relating to these commissions including the furniture lists surviving in some cases.
A pair of late Victorian marble and giltwood console tables in the manner of William Kent and Benjamin Goodison, each with the original rectangular spinach green marble top with shaped cut corners, set above an ornately carved base with an arabesque and patera frieze and pendant openwork garlands, all supported by six acanthus scroll legs with pendant bell flowers within fielded panels. English, circa 1880.
These tables relate to a series of surviving examples designed by William Kent around 1730 for houses such as Devonshire House in London, Castle Howard in Yorkshire and Rousham in Oxfordshire. Kent frequently reused his designs for furniture with little in the way of major alterations and all three of these commissions used tables which are closely related to the current pair. All have the more usual four legs rather than the six used on this pair.
For similar examples see the Castle Howard tables in Country Life, 11th of June 1927, p.954 fig. 14 in the Garden Hall. One of the Rousham set is illustrated in Margaret Jourdain's The Work of William Kent, London, 1948, fig. 146 while the Devonshire House tables were recently on the London art market and were illustrated in Ronald Phillips Ltd.’s 2015 catalogue.
A Maltese pietra dura table top attributed to Joseph Darmanin & Sons, the circular top intricately inlaid with a central scene depicting a saddled chestnut horse tethered to a date palm tree, within concentric bands of grey and Nero Portoro marble and a broad floral border of flowers and butterflies in specimen marbles inlaid onto a white ground, raised on a vintage chrome eight legged table. Top Maltese, circa 1880, base English, circa 1950.
Footnote: From 16th century Malta there was a strong tradition of work in marble mosaics, especially in the elaborate tombstones of the Knights Hospitallers of St John. Under British rule from 1800, the workshops began making marble table tops for British visitors similar to those sought by the original Grand Tourists in Italy. J. Darmanin and Sons were the best-known marble-working firm and traded from the 1800s to the 1880s. They exhibited at several international exhibitions including the Great Exhibition in London in 1851. A superb table by J Darmanin with a very similar horse and palm tree decoration can be found in ‘The Royal Collection’. Other examples include the pair of ‘Londonderry' pietra dura table tops stamped J Darmanin which also feature the horse and palm tree motif.
The tray top with a wavy scrolling edge was a particular device used by Gillows, so much so that Susan Stuart uses a table with this top for the front cover of the second volume of her definitive books ‘Gillows of Lancaster and London, 1730-1840’, Woodbridge, 2008. She also illustrates a drawing in Gillow’s Estimate Sketch book of 1822, for a nearly identical mahogany table made for Sir Y.D. Hesketh. In the same year a rosewood version was made for Ferguson & Co. It is interesting to note that the rosewood table cost twice as much at £1.
A good matched pair of late Regency sofa tables, attributed to Trotter, each with a rectangular top with drop flap ends applied with continuous figured veneers, above a frieze with two working and two dummy drawers, the pedestal ends with fielded panels joined by a bobbin and spindle turned stretchers, all raised on solid rosewood lion’s paw feet with hidden castors. English, circa 1820.
Footnotes: This table is almost identical to a sofa table of the same date which is attributed to the famous Scottish cabinet maker, William Trotter which is illustrated in situ inside Penicuik House in F. Bamford, ‘A Dictionary of Edinburgh Furniture Makers, 1660-1840’, 1983, the Furniture History Society, pl.'s 75A and 75B. A further closely related Scottish writing or library table version of the present model sold Bonhams, Edinburgh, 27 April 2017, The Scottish Sale, lot 346.
William Trotter of Ballindean JP DL was a Scottish cabinet maker who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1825 to 1827. A highly respected figure within the realm of Regency furniture; he has been called Scotland's greatest cabinet maker.
An interesting George III yew wood marquetry side table, firmly attributed to Ince and Mayhew, the demilune top veneered principally in burr yew wood inlaid with a fan of satinwood and radiating harewood, separated by holly stringing, the frieze cross banded in harewood with each panel containing a design featuring feathered boss-type paterae and swags of drapery, with penwork detailing, raised on four tapering square section legs with collared toes. English, circa 1780.
Provenance: A distinguished European private collection.
Footnote: The feathered bosses are a particular feature of the inlay work of the Ince and Mayhew partnership, one of the most prominent firms operating in London in the late 18th century. In their book ‘Industry and Ingenuity - The Partnership of William Ince and John Mayhew’ Sir Hugh Roberts and Charles Cator identify the source for these feathered bosses as Robert Wood's 1753 publication ‘The Ruins of Palmyra’. This book is credited by many with establishing the craze for neoclassicism in Europe and the relevant plate, depicting all manner of feathered boss designs from a ceiling in Palmyra, is illustrated below. The blocks on the frieze of our table are inlaid with large scale and stylised harebells and the legs also incorporate the feathered boss motifs and tapering feathered panels.
Further indications of a likely Ince and Mayhew authorship for the present piece are provided by the extensive use of burr yew, a trademark of the firm's production and the engraved detailing applied to the inlay to give it additional depth and character.
A side or serving table of similar character but with different sources of inlay is in Kingston Lacy in Dorset, having been supplied by Ince and Mayhew to the Bankes family there in 1786.
https://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1254536
A nest of five Regency specimen wood tables attributed to Gillows, each of rectangular form with solid rosewood frame and finely turned legs joined by paired spindles, each top comprising a solid panel of an exotic wood, the largest table satinwood with partridge wood crossbanding, the second Goncalo Alves, the third amboyna, the fourth partridge wood and the smallest satinwood. English, circa 1815.
Literature: A set of four similar tables, reputedly supplied by Gillows to the Senhouse family of Lancashire, c.1810, is illustrated in Geoffrey Beard and Judith Goodison ‘English Furniture 1500-1840’, 1987, p.254, fig.
A large and impressive George IV mahogany serving table, the rectangular top surmounted by a carved back with a central cartouche of an eagle with outstretched wings holding a pistol and a dagger in its talons, below the legend ‘For Right’ all within a rope twist and acanthus border, the frieze with one central and two side-opening end drawers, the four front legs with feathered scroll shoulders and talon feet, the two plain back legs of rectangular section. English, circa 1820.
Provenance
Supplied to Lieutenant-General Alexander Graham-Stirling (1769-1849) for Rednock House in Stirling, Scotland and thence by descent until sold in 2004
This table, recorded in the dining room in an inventory and valuation of the furniture at Rednock House completed in March of 1926, was probably supplied in around 1827. The Graham-Stirling papers contain several estimates for furniture prepared by the Scottish firms Alladice and Sclanders and Thomas Auchie and it is quite possible that this wonderful table was supplied by one or other of the two firms. Unfortunately there are no surviving records that relate to the production of this particular piece so this must remain a matter of speculation at this stage.
A George III revolving mahogany drum table attributed to Gillows, the circular top inset with a faded and gilt tooled green leather within borders of crossbanding and stringing, above four full and four dummy frieze drawers, raised on a turned and gadrooned support with four reeded and panelled legs, original brass castors and ring handles. English, circa 1790.
Provenance: Norman Adams
A fine Derbyshire black marble end support specimen table, the rectangular top with a chequerboard pietra dura panel of giallo antico, portoro, brocatelle d’Espagne, bluejohn, malachite and other marbles, all set into Ashford black marble carved with low relief floral and foliate borders, raised on a mahogany table with a shaped frieze and scrolling X end supports boldly carved with scrolls and circular bosses, and joined with a turned stretcher, original castors disguised in the feet. Restoration to top. English, circa 1822.
A set of Regency rosewood Quartetto tables, attributed to Gillows, each of rectangular form with well figured veneers, brass cock-beading and satinwood stringing, the solid rosewood end supports comprising paired columns. English, circa 1815.
Literature: A set of tables of near identical design to the offered lot, reputedly supplied by Gillows to the Senhouse family of Lancashire, c.1810, is illustrated in Geoffrey Beard and Judith Goodison ‘English Furniture 1500-1840’, 1987, p.254, fig.3.
A Regency brass-inlaid rosewood sofa table attributed to Gillows, the rectangular D-end top with two hinged flaps all inlaid with brass beading to the vertical edges, above two frieze drawers with star handles, the square section end supports raised on outswept legs and joined by a typically Gillows arched stretcher, decorated with superb book matched veneers and brass beading and stringing. English, circa 1815.
See Susan Stuart ‘Gillows of London and London 1730-1840’ (Antique Collectors’ Club, Woodbridge, 2008) page 264 plate 268 for a very similar table with boxwood stringing and ivory handles, supplied to Stephen Tempest of Broughton Hall in1803.
A Napoleon III parquetry card table by Sormani, the shaped hinged top with ormolu ribbon and bead guilloche edging, decorated overall in kingwood, tulipwood and satinwood diamond trellis, all raised on cabriole legs applied with protruding foliate fronds, the frieze disguises an unusual arrangement of decorated panels which appear when the table is opened to support the playing surface, the lock stamped ‘Sormani, 10 rue Charlot Paris’. French, circa 1860
Paul Sormani (1817-1877) was Italian born, establishing his first workshops in Paris in 1847, finally settling in Rue Charlot in 1867 and offering works of ‘a quality of execution of the first order’. His specialty was copies of furniture in the style of the ‘Ancien Regime’. The firm exhibited at the Paris Expositions Universelles of 1855 and 1867, and London 1862 and won several medals for excellence.
A Regency rosewood six drawer library table by Gillows, the rectangular top inset with a replaced tooled burgundy leather within a bead and reel border, with three frieze drawers on each side, raised on turned baluster end supports carved with palmettes and joined by a single turned stretcher, the cabriole ball and claw feet with hidden castors, the Brahma locks stamped ‘Gillow’. English, circa 1815.
A pair of stylish Art Deco burr amboyna and bronze occasional tables, each with two rounded rectangular shelves held within an open bronze frame, French, 1930.
A pair of Napoleon III bronze and ormolu table lamps, each in the form of a bronze putto holding the base of a single light fitting, left and right handed, set on an ormolu cylindrical base decorated with spiral fluting on a cut corner square plinth, rewired for electricity. French, circa 1860.
A Regency brass triple column table lamp, comprising a cluster of three classical columns set on a pyramidal base with lion’s mask-and-paw feet, rewired for electricity. English, circa 1815.
An unusual George III satinwood side table, the demi lune top crossbanded with mahogany, the frieze inlaid with satinwood ovals, two with the original silvered brass handles and concealing drawers, all raised on four square tapering legs on spade feet, joined by a shaped stretcher or undertier with penwork and engraved decoration. Stamped on the base with an ‘R’ belowan earl's coronet. English, circa 1790.
Most probably the Earls of Radnor, Radnor House, Coleshill or Longford Castle
It is highly likely that the ‘R’ and coronet cipher records previous ownership of this piece by the Earls of Radnor, based at Radnor House in London and Coleshill and Longford Castle in the provinces. Designs for hunting coat buttons made by the firm of Firmin and Sons on the Strand record the monograms and abbreviations of their patrons. One of these buttons shows an earl's coronet above a capital R and is annotated 'Earl of Radnor'. Additionally, a bookbinding for one of the ladies of the family in the University of Toronto utilises a similar monogram.
A French two tier kingwood marquetry side table, the top and lower shelf of shaped rectangular form, raised on cabriole legs, decorated with quarter veneers and cross-grained strapwork within rosewood crossbanding, applied ormolu mounts. French, circa 1880.
A fine and unusual nest of three Regency tables, each of rectangular form with open lyre end supports, the top one veneered with a tulipwood field and burr oak banding, the second with mahogany and bird’s eye maple and the smallest with Goncalo Alves and thoya wood, all three have boxwood stringing and kingwood crossbanding, with ormolu edging and ‘strings’ set into the lyres, raised on splayed feet. English, circa 1815.
A Victorian kingwood marquetry writing table in the French taste, of shaped rectangular form inset with the original leather, with disguised frieze drawers on one side, set on cabriole legs, decorated throughout with floral marquetry in fruitwoods and exotic timbers, showing flowers and tendrils, and classical ormolu mounts. English, circa 1850.
An unusual William IV amboyna and oak four drawer library table by Simpson, the rectangular top with cut corners and a shaped frieze disguising two cushion drawers on each side, raised on four powerful scroll legs and an additional tapered faceted pollard oak central support applied with a double petal collar in figured amboyna, the corresponding base with lion’s paw and acanthus scroll feet, each drawer stamped ‘J. Simpson’ and with a pencil inscription on the underside stating ‘Made by Jas. Simpson at Mr G. Spencers, Darlington, 1840'. Presumably G Spencer was the well-known Darlington Cabinetmaker George Spencer and he must have allowed his workmen to stamp their names on pieces in the same way that workshops like Gillows were known to do on occasion. To find a piece which has both a maker's stamp and an inscription revealing the identity of the workshop is very rare indeed and makes this a true documentary piece. English, circa 1840.
George Spencer of Darlington
According to the British and Irish Furniture Makers Online database (BIFMO), Spencer flourished at Wellington Place in Darlington between 1827 and 1834. However research published on a Kipling family genealogy site and available here https://genealogy.kipling.me.uk/Spencers.pdf shows that Spencer was trading from at least 1825 and was certainly still trading in 1843 when one of his daughter's wedding announcements was published in the local press. Spencer died in 1857 aged 75 but the aforementioned article also cites numerous newspaper adverts published after his death which refer to pieces he made coming up for sale by auction etc. One advert in the Northern Echo, Friday 14 November 1873, states that 'the principal part of the cabinet furniture is from the Works of the Late George Spencer of Darlington'. The furniture concerned had been supplied to 'Mrs Robson, Park Terrace, Darlington'. Another advert in the Northern Echo, 19th of August 1884, mentions a 'massive mahogany sideboard, 7 feet long, by G. Spencer, of Darlington' which was being sold by the executors of 'Mrs Allison' of Darlington. The fact that Spencer's name was still seen as relevant so long after his death is testament to his importance in the local area and the fame his workshops had achieved.
A mid Victorian mahogany wine table attributed to Gillows, the scalloped top set upon a slender turned and fluted support on tripod legs, the feet carved with acanthus leaves. English, circa 1850.
A satinwood hexagonal tilt-top table, the hexagonal top beautifully painted in polychrome with a bunch of flowers on a black ground, with purple heart and ebony stringing, on a turned baluster support on a triform base with bun feet. Belgian, circa 1830.
A striking Regency coromandel sofa table, of typical rectangular form with two rounded flaps, each side has one frieze drawer and one dummy drawer, with turned double column supports and stretcher, original castors, decorated throughout with book matched veneers and contrasting crossbanding, the drawers with geometric boxwood stringing and octagonal handle escutcheons. English, circa 1815.
A George IV highly figured oak tripod side table attributed to Gillows, the rectangular top made from a single, solid piece of oak, with a frieze drawer on one end, raised on a turned, acanthus carved baluster support with three scroll legs. English, circa 1830.
A novelty maritime teak, mahogany and brass table lamp, comprising a steering wheel attached to a binnacle, all within a brass railing, the wheel inlaid with a brass circlet and stylized fleur de lys, with the central button embossed with a naval crown and the initials ‘S&A’, English, circa 1920.
A Grand Tour specimen marble table top with an English specimen wood base, the circular top inlaid with a flowerhead pattern in an extensive range of marbles, centred on a roundel showing the doves of Pliny within a malachite border. The specimen wood base with three oak barley twist supports, the frieze and triangular undertier veneered in thoya wood, amboyna and plane wood. The top Italian, circa 1850, the base English, circa 1850.
An unusual slate topped parcel gilt walnut table by William Turner & Son, the circular top painted reddish-brown with a delicate spray of naturalistic garden flowers in the centre, set into a walnut tripod base with rich gilt embellishments including a powerful guilloche to the frieze, with a paper label on the underside stating ‘Turner & Sons, Cabinet manufacturer and upholsterers, 16 & !8 Islington, Liverpool.’ English, circa 1860.
William Turner and Son, Cabinet Manufacturers, Islington, Liverpool.
William Turner is recorded as apprenticed to Samuel Chubbard of Liverpool in 1802.
An article in the Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser, 23rd October 1838, states: “We understand that Mr. William Turner, upholsterer and cabinet manufacturer of Islington, who recently fitted up the splendid new steam vessel, the Reindeer, is engaged to do the cabinet and upholstery work of her Majesty's two magnificent new steam-vessels, the Merlin and Medusa, for the Liverpool and Dublin mail-packet service”. By 1858 the firm was named “W. Turner & Son”, and had completed an extensive renovation and expansion of stock and premises. They ceased trading in 1889.
An Anglo Indian padouk tripod side table, of circular form, the top with a solid centre within a border and curved frieze of openwork filigree foliage enclosing paired stylised monkeys and birds, the support with tiers of palm fronds raised on three cabriole legs carved with tigers, with an enamel plaque on the underside stating ‘James Shoolbred & Co, Tottenham House, Tottenham Court Road, London.’
A George I walnut card table, the hinged shaped top above a single small frieze drawer and raised on cabriole legs which terminate in pad feet. English, circa 1720.
An oak and pollard oak writing table attributed to George Bullock with designs by draughtsman Thomas Wilkinson, the rectangular top with a small gallery on three sides, the centre with a hinged and ratchetted reading slope, all above a panelled frieze with one long drawer, decorated with asymmetrical pollard oak veneers, with a border of ovals and spheres within crossbanding and ebony stringing, all raised on unusual graduated bead legs, original brass castors. English, circa 1840.
Footnote: George Bullock was noted for his use of all cuts of oak as we can see in this piece from the marquetry of unusually shaped burrs and the crossbanding adding another complexion of colour. The illustration for the unusual leg is from ‘The Wilkinson Tracings’ - a collection of designs for furniture, interiors and ornament mostly by the Regency designer George Bullock and drawn by draughtsman Thomas Wilkinson.
A delicate walnut easel dressing table mirror, the oval plate within an asymetrical frame of C-scrolls in the Rococco manner, .deocorated in glass mosaic with a Venetian scene and floral sprays. Italian, circa 1900.
A mid-Victorian free-standing painted satinwood two-tier table, of rectangular form with turned and painted legs, decorated throughout with garlands of flowers, original castors. English, circa 1860.
A George III mahogany Pembroke table, the oval top with two hinged flaps above a single frieze drawer, decorated with rosewood crossbanding, raised on square section tapering legs with boxwood inlay, all on spade feet with the original castors, 1880.
A pair of small walnut tables with Boulle-work tops by Pillinini, each with a circular top decorated with brass and pewter marquetry, embellished with black penwork, inlaid into a tortoiseshell ground, both showing scrolling acanthus leaves, one with central oak and acorn sprays, within a border of pendant bellflowers on an ebonized ground, raised on a tripod base boldly carved with shells, scrolls and gadrooned panels, signed ‘G V Pillinini’. French, circa 1950.
Giulio and Valentino Pillinini - 20th Century Masters of Marquetry
Giulio Pillinini was born in Tolmezzo and, according to an article from the Friuli Nel Mondo newspaper (March/April 1953), was based for many years in Paris at 26, Rue de Charonne. He was apparently an exhibitor at the Exposition natìonale des réalìsaitions artìsanales and he was clearly inspired by the wonderful 18th century French pieces which he saw in museums and great collections in the city. In combination with Valentino Pillinini he used the “G. V. Pillinini” mark, stamped on to the carcass of his pieces in the manner of the great ébénistes. A commode by the firm, based on a model by Leleu, was sold at Sotheby's in 2011. Though catalogued by the auction house as mid 19th century, the piece is in fact extensively illustrated and described in Pierre Ramond's book Masterpieces of Marquetry (pages 162-163) and was apparently completed around 1978. The finished piece was then exhibited at ‘Les Métiers de l'Art’ at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in 1980. The Pillinini family was one of a very small number of firms able to supply pieces for the most discerning 20thcentury clients.
A Victorian mahogany revolving display table, the circular burgundy leather inset top within cross banding, the frieze also cross-banded, the whole raised upon a turned support with three cabriole legs carved with scrolling acanthus and volutes. English, 1860
A pair of satinwood Anglo Chinese collector’s table cabinets, each of rectangular form with a pair of doors which open to reveal five long drawers with ivory keyhole surrounds, each drawer marked inside with a Chinese numeral, the sides with applied paktong handles. Anglo Chinese, circa 1810. Ivory licence number XLXGY2R7
An early Victorian rosewood reading table, the shaped top hinged to form an adjustable reading slope with a ratcheted support and detachable rest, raised upon turned and flanged end supports with double columns above out splayed cabriole legs joined by a carved stretcher, original brass castors. English, circa 1840.
A mid-Victorian walnut and pietra dura table, the oval top inlaid in specimen marbles with a roundel of radiating panels centred on a white daisy in on a black ground, all raised on flared square-section supports joined by a turned and gadrooned stretcher, with scrolling feet and the original porcelain castors, carved throughout with pendent bellflowers and fleshy acanthus leaves. English, circa 1870.
A mid-Victorian gilt-wood console table, of rectangular form, the frieze with vitruvian scrolls centred on a classical female mask wearing a feathered and tasselled headdress flanked by scrolls and foliage, raised upon cabriole legs with acanthus carved shoulders and hairy paw feet, with breche violette marble top. English, c1850
An outstanding Louis XV-style mahogany bureau plat after a model by Jacques B. Dubois, from the estate of Phyllis McGuire, the shaped leather-inset top above an elaborate frieze with three disguised drawers, all on cabriole legs, the whole embellished with opulent ormolu mounts. The centre drawer with a bronze plaque inscribed ‘Table de l’Indépendance des Etats Unis d'Amerique dite Table Vergennes’. The locks stamped ‘Vachette’. French, 19th century.
Provenance: from the Estate of Phyllis McGuire
This bureau plat is an almost exact copy of the desk made by Jacques Dubois, on which Benjamin Franklinsigned the Treaty of Alliance with France at the Hotel de Crillon in Paris 1778. This was one of the first historic treaties between nations with the newly formed United States. However, the original bureau plat, in the Louvre, appears to be veneered in kingwood or mahogany and this example is solid mahogany. The front centre drawer retains a bronze plaque inscribed Table de l’Independence des États-Unis d'Amérique dite Table Vergennes. Charles Gravier, Count of Vergennes (1719 – 1787) was a French statesman and diplomat. He served as Foreign Minister from 1774 during the reign of Louis XVI, notably during the American War of Independence, and had a pivotal role in crafting the Alliance.
Founded in 1864 in Troyes as Bresson-Vachette, named after its founders, the company became Vachette Frères in 1865 and rapidly became one of the leading French locksmiths of the second half of the 19th century. Their famous stamp of 'V.F Paris’ above crossed keys can be found on pieces from the most important Parisian ébénistes of the period.
Phyllis McGuire and the Rat Pack. The table was owned by Phyllis McGuire (1931-2020), the lead singer in the vocal group The McGuire Sisters who enjoyed huge popularity around the world in the 1950s and 60s. Mrs McGuire formed an interesting collection of furniture and works of art in her home in Las Vegas. As a friend of the Rat Pack- including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr, it is perhaps not surprising that a scoring pad from the Sammy Davis Jr Whist Tournament was found inside the central drawer. Mrs McGuire was infamously the girlfriend of mobster Sam Giancana who ran the “Chicago Outfit” from 1957-1966 and this relationship is rumoured to have led to the McGuire Sisters being blacklisted by certain radio stations at the height of their success.
A very good sand picture of sheep by Benjamin Zobel, showing two sheep on a bed of straw in a rustic barn, the reverse handwritten in ink ‘Sand Picture Mid-17th [sic] century Benjamin Zobell’ and on an applied label stating ‘From J M Baker to Martineau Williams, painted in Marble Dust by M. Zobell ?Black of England’. English, circa 1835.
Benjamin Zobel (1762 – 1830) was employed by the Prince Regent’s chef Louis Weltje, and became a `Table Decker’ at Windsor Castle. The custom of `Table Decking’ had been introduced into England by George III, where the table cloth at dinner was elaborately decorated with designs of coloured sands, marble dust, powdered glass or bread crumbs. Zobel became a skilled confectioner and was entrusted with the pictures made in coloured sugars that decorated the huge tarts served at banquets. The method he employed for making sugar patterns was identical to that which he used to make his sand pictures; that is the sugar, or sand, was shaken through a cut and pleated playing cards.
A Pair of Sand Pictures by Benjamin Zobel, framed by Benjamin Taylor, each showing a farming scene, one with four sheep under a large oak tree by a field gate behind which a bay cart horse is standing, the other with a grey horse, cattle, poultry and pigs in a farmyard while a couple stand chatting over a gate in background, a paper label on the reverse stating ‘Benj.n Taylor, Upholder, Appraiser, Cabinet Manufacturer …. Great Dover Street, Borough, London, Carpet & Bedding Warehouse. English, circa 1835.
Taylor's firm operated between 1805 and 1871 but Benjamin himself died in 1843, aged 68. He had taken one of his sons in to partnership and the firm changed its name to Benjamin Taylor and Son, continuing under this name until the firm closed. The format of the label on these frames and the address mean that they must have been applied between c.1820-1843.
A fine English bureau de dame in the style of Louis VX, attributed to Town and Emanuel, the rectangular topwith a single continuous frieze drawer raised on slender cabriole legs, the top section with a central cupboard flanked by paired small drawers, decorated overall in kingwood and tulipwood veneers and crossbanding and applied with high-quality ormolu mounts and twelve Sevres porcelain plaques painted in the style of Boucher showing pastoral scenes, bird studies and flowers in polychrome and gilt with bleu de ciel borders. English, circa 1840.
Footnote: Please see Christopher Payne ‘British Furniture 1820-1920 The Luxury Market’, The Antique Collector’s Club, 2023, pp.95-96, figs. 2.53 and 2.55 for two cabinets with similar decoration, one stamped Town & Emanuel.
Town & Emanuel were known for manufacturing fine English furniture in the French style of the finest quality by 'Appointment to Her Majesty'. The ‘Dictionary of Marked London Furniture 1700-1840' lists Town & Emanuel as 'dealers in & Manufacturers of antique furniture, curiosities and pictures', who occupied 103 New Bond Street from c. 1830 until the sale of their 'Magnificent and Extensive Stock' by Christie's on 19 April 1849. They were inspired by the Buhl Revival -manufacturing, restoring and dealing in French furniture and objets d'art. Their trade label features the arms of Queen Adelaide headed 'By Appointment To Her Majesty', with a lengthy inscription which includes ‘Manufacturers of … splendid cabinets & tables inlaid with fine Sevres & Dresden china &c.’ The firm's patrons included, besides Royalty, the Duke of Buccleuch, the Duke of Buckingham and Lord Braybrooke.
A rare Anglo-Chinese Regency polychrome painted wax and wood group of two Chinese card players, both with nodding heads with horsetail top-knots, wearing jackets with large collars, one with wide-sleeves, gilt belts and voluminous trousers, seated at a circular table, one man grinning and pointing in amusement at the frustration of his companion at having dropped his cards on the floor. Anglo-Chinese, circa 1800.
Footnote: Card players like these are generally assumed to date from the late George III or Regency period following the Prince Regent’s enthusiasm for Chinoiserie decoration at The Royal Pavilion in Brighton. The Zoffany portrait of Queen Charlotte, with the young Prince dressed in Roman armour, shows a large pair of standing Chinese deities on a table in the background. Playing cards were invented in China, probably during the Song Dynasty (1127-1279).
This three-quarter length oil on canvas portrait shows Major Sloane-Stanley in a landscape by the sea. He is smoking a cigar and wearing a Royal Yacht Squadron cap. Signed lower left ‘G Hillyard Swinstead 1916’ the reverse inscribed in pencil ‘Major R Sloane-Stanley, Hants Yeomanry 1916’ . English.
Capt. thence Lt Col Ronald F A Sloane-Stanley of the Hampshire Regiment (1867 – 1948) served as Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire. As a close friend of Edward VII, he reputedly procured two billiard tables from Osborne House (East Cowes, Isle of Wight) for Lee- on-the-Solent Yacht Club, of which he was the founding Commodore in 1907. He was also a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron from 1907 until his death, owning seven yachts during that period. He served on the Yachting Committee between 1935 and 1946.
Despite Sloane-Stanley's long history of involvement with yachting, there is one yacht with which his family is associated that overshadows all of his other great achievements in the sport. The Formosa, built for his father Francis Sloane-Stanley in 1877, was acclaimed as a masterpiece of maritime design before she was even launched. In a rhapsodic article published on the 22nd of February 1879, The Field newspaper describes her as “the most beautiful cutter yacht ever built”.
Her measurements were:
In addition to her fine attributes as a racing vessel, the article also mentions the luxurious way that she was decorated inside, personally supervised and designed by Mrs Sloane-Stanley-our sitter's mother.
The Formosa, pictured above, became so famous that shortly after this article was written Francis Sloane-Stanley sold her to his friend the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII). There are several images of the Formosa in the Royal Collection, all dating from 1880. The Prince raced her on multiple occasions and her victories included the Queen's Cup on the 3rd of August 1880. By 1881, however, the Prince had sold her to a “Mr Bischoffsheim” as reported in the as reported in the Portsmouth Evening News on the 23rd of July of that year.
Although Ronald Sloane-Stanley would have been 12 at the time the Formosa was raced by his father it is highly likely that seeing this beautiful cutter, and the success that it brought to his family, would have inspired Ronald's own yachting career.
Additionally, as the same article in The Field makes clear, the Sloane-Stanley family were related in some way to Thomas Assheton-Smith, a founder member of the Yacht Club (later the Royal Yacht Squadron). The family is therefore a highly renowned one in yachting circles and we were lucky enough to be able to offer a silver gilt trophy won by Assheton Smith at the Regatta in 1828 in one of our previous catalogues. This portrait is a very exciting piece of yachting memorabilia as well as a superb work of art in its own right.
The Artist
George Hillyard Swinstead (1860-1926) was born in Chelsea, London, son of Charles Swinstead (1816-1890), headmaster of North London School of Art, and his second wife Jane née Hillyard (1826-1891). He studied under his father and at the Royal Academy Schools. He was elected to the Royal Society of British Artists in 1893 and the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colour in 1907, excelling in both landscapes and portraits. Although based in London he was a frequent visitor to Suffolk, exhibiting several paintings of Walberswick and its environs.
What is intriguing to note is that in December of 1916 Mrs Ronald Sloane-Stanley, née Susan Johnstone, the wife of our sitter, also sat for a portrait by the famous society portraitist Philip Alexius de László. Given that portraitist's reputation-it was said at the time that he had painted more members of high society than any other painter past or present-and the price of commissioning a painting from him, it is very clear that Mr Sloane-Stanley's choice of an artist for his own portrait was not restricted in any way by financial concerns. It is very likely that the two portraits, being ordered in the same year, were designed as pendants to each other in some way.
