A Highly Important Documentary Pietra Dura Table Top by Giuseppe Darmanin of Malta on its Original English Mahogany with Rosewood cross banding table base, c.1835

The table base of carved rosewood in the late George IV style. The table features bold egg and dart mouldings to the top and base of the frieze, a carved central pillar and large scale carved paw feet. Stylistically the base could certainly be the work of Gillows or indeed their Scottish rival William Trotter who both produced tables in this sort of style for wealthy connoisseurs of this period.

There is no doubt as to the authorship of the wonderful pietra dura specimen marble top however. Even without any kind of mark it would have been possible to attribute it with near certainty to the Maltese firm of Giuseppe Darmanin (often Anglicised to J. Darmanin) of Valetta on the basis of its great similarity to a labelled piece by the firm in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum which can be seen online here:

https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O101882/table-darmanin/?carousel-image=2006BG9253

Both our table and the V&A piece feature central medallions with the famous doves of Pliny image, otherwise known as the Capitoline doves taken from a mosaic floor design discovered in Hadrian's villa in Tivoli. This in turn is believed to have been copied from another mosaic, now lost, in Pergamon in ancient Greece.

Our table is also similar to the V&A example in its use of sea shells, coral and other maritime decorative devices in the first of the sections bordering the central medallion. However whilst the V&A piece is rather busily decorated in this area, ours is ore selectively inlaid, probably because the V&A piece has a plain outer border whereas our piece uses multiple inlaid specimen marbles in a geometric pattern here instead and the combination of this work and the busier inner border would have been rather overwhelming.

The V&A table top uses what might be termed a typical colour palette for Darmanin with greys and creams predominating as background colours. Our piece, however, uses a highly unusual earthy colour scheme, principally based around shades of brown. This harmonises beautifully with the table base in a way that few specimen tops manage to do and is particularly desirable as a result.

The V&A's table was acquired in Malta by Sir Watkin Pell, a Royal Navy commander who, at the time of the piece's purchase in 1841, was in command of HMS Howe. The table has a label on the base for 'J. Darmanin and Sons, marble makers'.

In contrast to the V&A piece, our table does not have a label, nor does it have the name of the firm inlaid in to the top in some way as has been noted on a few examples. Our table has an engraved inscription on the base, presumably applied by hand with a chisel, which reads:

'Maestro Giuseppe Darmanin

Marmoraro Strade Levante

Valletta 45 Malta'

This inscription is highly important for a number of reasons. So far no other Darmanin table top with an inscription of this sort appears to be recorded. The use of the word “maestro” suggests that this piece was particularly important to the firm, important enough for them to want to record their involvement in the piece for posterity in a much more permanent way than attaching a label. This could indicate that this piece was intended for an important exhibition of one sort or another perhaps. The firm later exhibited at the Great Exhibition in 1851 and later international exhibitons but given the style of the table base, it is nlikely that the piece could have been produced as later as 1850. It is also notable that there is no mention of Darmanin's sons in the inscription which implies that this could be a very early example of the firm's work, before the various Darmanin brothers had joined their father's firm. Documentary details like this make an enormous difference to the desirability of a piece and this is a highly significant discovery in furniture history terms.

The firm of Darmanin has just recently been given academic attention due to Jessica Muscat's work on the firm and the efforts of Dr. Kate Hay from the V&A. Dr Hay's article in Furniture History, Vol. 46, 2010, pp. 157-188 was invaluable when cataloguing our piece and we are also very grateful to Dr Hay for looking at photographs of the table and giving us the benefit of her expertise.

This outstanding table is entirely fresh to the market, having been in the collection of a school in Hampshire for many years. It was donated to the school by a grateful family whose children had been educated there. Depository labels on the piece also reveal that it had once been in the possession of a Mrs Norris.

Provenance 

Mrs Norris

The Leahy family of Tuckermill House

Gifted to Walhampton School, near Lymington, Hampshire

A Fine and Important Regency Pollard Oak and Ebony Centre Table Relating to Designs by Thomas Hope, this large centre table is veneered in pollard oak with applied solid ebony mouldings and with ebony inlay to the table top. It stands on a tapering triangular column and a concave-sided tripartite platform base, with further solid ebony enrichment. The massive carved paw feet are ebonised and of exceptional quality.

Dimensions: Height 29 inches or 74 cm Diameter 56 inches or 143cm

This outstanding table relates to a design in plate 39 of Thomas Hope's Household Furniture and Interior Decorationwhich is reproduced below. Two tables corresponding exactly to that design were made for Hope either at Deepdene in Surrey, from whence they were later sold, or for his Duchess Street town house in London. Hope was exacting in his standards and expected those who executed his designs to be equally fastidious. Frustratingly, however, although we know that he entrusted his bronze and ormolu work to Alexis Decaix, he did not leave similar clues relating to the makers of his furniture and, as such, even the furniture made for Hope himself is undocumented in this regard. One of the tables made for Hope is now in the V&A and can be seen online here and the museum notes that the quality of construction is such that a London maker is highly likely.

https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O48867/table-hope-thomas/

Our table, though lacking the highly detailed marquetry from the Hope design, also has a number of features which suggest a top London maker and, in all likelihood, the same workshop as produced the Hope examples. Most importantly and interestingly, the mouldings on our table are executed in ebony rather than being ebonised. Only the large paw feet, of the black elements seen throughout the piece, are ebonised. This is very unusual and implies a commission where cost was no object and a very skilled maker able to deal with the use of such exotic timbers in large quantities as this is a large table and plenty of ebony was required to make all of the different mouldings. Ebony is also used to inlay the top with concentric rings of varying thicknesses.

The table is executed primarily in pollard oak and, as a native English timber, the fashion for the use of this material was extremely pronounced during the regency period when a new wave of patriotism seemed to take hold, presumably in response to the Napoleonic Wars. Makers such as George Bullock are associated with this fashion, as well as the use of ebony inlay, but this table does not seem likely to have come from his workshop. Clues to the origin of the piece may instead come from another table in our current collection, this exceptional oak library drum table:

https://wickantiques.co.uk/product/an-important-regency-period-library-table-made-after-designs-by-thomas-hope/

That table, also clearly relating to the Hope design, corresponds incredibly closely to tables from Beechwood Park and Malahide and it has been suggested that the Beechwood table was probably supplied by Marsh and Tatham around c.1810 when the library there was remodelled in the regency style.

On the basis of the clear design similarities between the two pieces that we own, it seems that an attribution to Marsh and Tatham for the present table is also justified.

This table has an exceptional colour and patination, as would be expected from a piece that passed through the hands of Michael Hughes Ltd, one of the finest dealers in antique furniture in London.

Provenance  

Acquired from Michael Hughes Ltd, Fulham Road, London, for a private Somerset collection for £38,000

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 Victorian Marquetry Centre Table Attributed to Blake and Co and E. H. Baldock c.1845, The basic form of this outstanding table relates to a design by Richard Bridgens and was published in 1838 as plate 16 in his Furniture with Candelabra.

The table has a circular top with kingwood and walnut panels and is profusely inlaid with scrollwork and floral marquetry with surprising fantastical elements such as human faces disguised amongst the scrolls. The apron of the table is highly stylised and features a wavy, asymmetrical border. The column base leads down to three spreading legs with knurled or scroll feet.

Tables of this sort with extremely complex and accomplished marquetry were created by the Blake family of makers, usually in conjunction with the dealer and retailer Edward Holmes Baldock who was responsible for creating some of the most important aristocratic furniture collections of the 19^th century and also supplying modern pieces to clients such as King Louis Philippe of France and the Duke of Buccleuch, both documented clients. Pieces supplied by Baldock can also be found in the Royal Collection with George IV in particular buying several pieces from Baldock such as this chest of drawers

https://www.rct.uk/collection/33474/chest-of-drawer

The marquetry on the present piece is entirely typical of the Blake family pieces, both in stylistic terms and in terms of the quality of execution and design.

Edward Holmes Baldock and the Blake Family

1. H. Baldock seems to have begun his career c.1805 as an antique dealer, selling everything from china and bronzes to Oriental art and, later, furniture. He was initially a specialist in china and glass, and was “purveyor of earthenware and glass” to William IV and “purveyor of china” to Queen Victoria. By 1821, his trade adverts began to reflect an interest in “antique....and ornamental furniture”. Baldock appears to have supplied antique pieces as well as acting as something of a 19th century machand mercier in commissioning new pieces of exceptional quality, frequently incorporating fine ormolu mounts and marquetry of the highest standard.

Martin Levy has argued convincingly that the fine marquetry on pieces supplied by Baldock was likely to have been created in the workshops of the Blake family of marquetry specialists (see M. Levy E.H.Baldock and the Blake Family: Further Evidence in Furniture History Society Newsletter No. 158, May 2005). The Blake dynasty of inlay specialists was founded around 1820 by Robert Blake and then continued through various changes of name and location until, by the 1840s, their workshops were based in the Tottenham Court Road area and Mount Street in Mayfair.

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 24^th 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 19^th century, either to make matched pairs with 18^th 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 20^th 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 52^nd 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, 11^th 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 16^th 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.

Fine William IV Period Rosewood Library Table by George Simson and Son of St Paul's Churchyard, London, c.1837.

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.

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 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 Fine Pair of Late Regency Period Rosewood Torcheres/Side Tables, Firmly Attributed to Gillows c.1825

The torcheres combining octagonal galleried tops, surrounded by beaded half-round mouldings, with finely carved stems incorporating fluting, leaf carving and turned and fluted cluster column bases in a most unusual fashion. The tripod bases with knurled or scroll feet with further leaf carving and panelled areas between the legs.

These torcheres draw upon various different styles of ornament, mostly of 18^th century inspiration which is unusual for pieces of this date. Two pairs of torcheres of exactly this same model were once at Ombersley Court, homes of the Barons Sandys. The Ombersley torcheres can be seen in A. Oswald, 'Ombersley Court, Worcestershire – II', Country Life, 9 January 1953, p. 96, pl. 5. The torcheres are comparable in their vigorous carving and use of eclectic ornament to the furniture supplied by Gillows to Hackwood Park, dispersed in a landmark sale by Christie's for high prices, in 1998. In addition, several features of the pieces such as the tapering support directly below the tops can be seen on documented Gillows pieces. The use of the finest Brazilian rosewood is also typical of the work of the Gillows manufactories during this period.

An unusual and highly interesting pair of torcheres which combine rococo and chinoiserie motifs and yet were produced during a time when Greek revival neoclassicism was in the ascendant, these pieces are fascinating examples and would have been made for a grand and important interior.

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.

Provenance

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.

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, 23^rd 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 - 20^th 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 18^th 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 19^th 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 20^thcentury clients.

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.

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-17^th [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.

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 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 fine oil on canvas shows three female generations of the same family, grandmother, mother and daughter, in the interior of a country cottage. The youngest of the three women seemingly being admonished by her grandmother for some misdemeanour or perhaps advised as to her moral conduct going forward. The girl cannot meet her grandmother's gaze and stares down at a table, holding on to the side of a chair with one hand. The pieces of decorative art such as pieces of faience pottery and a wall clock particularly finely observed. A fine example of the work of this very talented artist whose career, as outlined below, is under-studied.

 Although paintings by Ruinart have appeared on the market many times, his biography has remained elusive with only his dates of birth recorded and auction houses and dealers alike stating that his career was undocumented. Our research in the French newspaper archives has changed this. An article written shortly after the artist's death in L'Independent Remois, 29^th of November 1898, gives many details about the artist, his inspiration and his work and is reproduced below in full in English translation.

'A Champagne Artist Jules Ruinart de Brimont While there are artists who desire fame and spare no effort to make themselves known, there are others whose private lives, entirely devoted to work, remain unknown to the general public, and whose talent is matched by their modesty. It is among these that we should rank our compatriot Jules Ruinart, who died last summer in his hermitage in Rilly. Jules Ruinart de Brimont, descended from one of the oldest and finest Champagne families, was born in Coblenz in 1838 during a stay his parents made there. From early childhood, he developed a strong taste for drawing; therefore, at the age of fourteen, he entered the Antwerp Academy of Fine Arts, where he remained for two years. He then studied at the famous Dusseldorff School under Rudolph Jordan (painter of scenes depicting the lives of fishermen on the island of Markeu, in Holland) and Oswald Achenbach, whose talent is too well known and appreciated for us to discuss it. Jules Ruinart left the Dusseldorff School after two years to try his hand at a series of genre paintings, inspired by the customs of Westphalia and the banks of the Rhine. He was then 18 years old. He undertook the Italian voyage, dreamed of by all artists, and stayed six months in Rome, and six months in Naples and Capri. It was then that, captivated by the beauty and marvellous light of the Italian landscapes, and feeling, in this regard, the inadequacy of his studies, Jules Ruinart had the courage to return to Dusseldorff and asked to attend the Academy's landscape classes. After a few months, he was granted a master studio, a secluded studio where the directors came to examine his work and offer advice. The student's progress was so noticeable that the Academy purchased his first major painting from him for 2,000 francs (a huge sum for the time).Then the war of 1870 broke out, and Ruinart left Germany to return to France, where he settled in Rilly. Since that time, he made frequent trips to England, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Bohemia, Spain, and Italy, continually studying, painting, and drawing, drawing from everywhere the most varied subjects of moral scenes, genre scenes, and landscapes.

Jules Ruinart did not much like to be in the world, although he himself kept the best company; he preferred, in keeping with his artistic tastes, to live simply, without noise or clamour, surrounded by the landscapes and peasants who served as his models every day. It was in this environment, which was dear to him, that he ended his days, leaving in his studio an unsuspected quantity of paintings, drawings, sketches, watercolours, and sketches, many of which were by a master. The sale of all these works, we are told, will take place in the auctioneers' room on Saturday, December 3, and the public exhibition the day before. We urge our compatriots to visit this exhibition which, better than the lines we have just written, will be able to give them an idea of the value of the artist we have lost'.

We have conducted additional research in the British Newspaper Archive and Ruinart exhibited frequently in Britain during the 1870s and 1880s though the first reference we have found comes from The Tablet, 17^th of July 1869. In the article 'Fine Arts in France', a Ruinart work on exhibition in the Palais de Champs-Élysées is discussed by the author.

'Jules Ruinart paints for us “Un Portrait d'une Religieuse” with the clam and happy air that one rarely sees but through a convent grille'.

In the Birmingham Daily Gazette, 4^th of September 1871, a review of the exhibition of the Royal Society of Artists' annual exhibition includes a reference to Ruinart's work.

'Just below is a picture (62) by, we presume, a German artists, Jules Ruinart, of a girl with a water-can; in treatment the direct antithesis of Mr Hills-sombre in colour, carefully elaborate in finish and drawing'.

The South Wales Daily News, 18^th of August 1881 carried a feature on the Cardiff Fine Art Exhibition and Ruinart's entry was described as follows:

'”A Funeral at Rome”, by Jules Ruinart. A very good picture'

The South Bucks Free Press, 26^th of May 1882, reported on the Loan Picture Exhibition in Aid of the Wycombe Literary and Scientific Institute.

'No. 350 (“Hastings Beach”, by Jules Ruinart), which will deserve more than a passing notice'

Finally, The Hastings and St Leonards Observer, 19^th of November 1887, previewed the forthcoming exhibition of the Hastings Sketching Club. This was an exhibition of pieces largely drawn from local private collections rather than from the artists themselves and three works by Ruinart were to be on display. They were sent to the exhibition by the artist himself.

'M. Ruinart sends “Girl with fruit”, ”A canal in Italy”, “An errand for mother” and “Neapolitan boys”, all by Jules Ruinart'

Provenance

Provenance

Removed from Windsor Castle in 1825 as part of George IV's renovation of the building and taken by James Parker, 'turner to His Majesty' by whom made in to the present piece that same year.

'In me behold an emblem of mortality. After a reign in my native Woods of nearly 200 Years, I was cut down to become the main prop of the PALACE of KINGS, but like them Time's withering hand came upon me, for after a faithful service of upwards of 500 Years in WINDSOR CASTLE I also was removed in the reign of George IV. to make room for the more young & powerful of my kind. You hold now in your hands part of my remains, in the shape of a BOX, to contain a luxury not known when I was young, & such was the mutilated fate of nearly all my OLD COMPANIONS. 1825. Manufactured by J. Parker, Turner to his Majesty. Eton, near Windsor Bridge'.

James Parker is recorded in the royal accounts, now held in The National Archives at Kew, between 1836 and 1840. According to BIFMO, he 'supplied paterae, knobs, chair rails, table feet and legs for furniture for use in the Royal Household' in June of 1836. The discovery of this box shows that Parker, listed on the BIFMO database only as flourishing between the aforementioned years, was clearly active in the 1820s as well. With Parker's links to the refurbishment project at Windsor, and the close proximity of his premises to the Castle, it is easy to see how he would have been able to gain preferential access to the reclaimed timber and produce fine works of art like the present example.

The refurbishment of Windsor Castle was one of the consuming passions of George IV after his accession to the throne. In fact the project, started c.1823, was not completed until 1840, long after his death, and was estimated to have cost in excess of £1 million, a figure that was truly staggering at the time. This fine box is a small reminder of the work that took place and the enduring quality of the finest of English timbers.

A Team-Signed Gelatin Print Photograph of the R.M.S. Otranto Carrying the Visiting M.C.C Cricket Team to Australia in 1928,

This fine gelatin print is both a record of the luxury liner R. M. S. Otranto, operated by the Orient Line (Orient Steam Navigation Company) and of one of England's most successful teams of touring cricketers, the M.C.C. Team of 1928-29 which won the series on Australian soil, a rare feat even then.

The 1928-29 M.C.C. Team

The photograph is signed by all 17 members of the touring squad who were

1. P. F. Chapman (Kent) (Captain).
2. C. White (Somerset) (Deputy Captain).
3. R. Jardine (Surrey).
4. B. Hobbs (Surrey).
5. Sutcliffe (Yorkshire).
6. R. Hammond (Gloucestershire).
7. P. Hendren (Middlesex).
8. Tyldesley (Lancashire).
9. P. Mead (Hampshire).
10. Leyland (Yorkshire).
11. W. Tate (Sussex).
12. Geary (Leicestershire).
13. Duckworth (Lancashire).
14. E. G. Ames (Kent).
15. Larwood (Notts).
16. P. Freeman (Kent).
17. J. Staples (Notts).

S.J. Southerton, the cricket historian, wrote in 1930 that 'Opinions may differ as to the exact place in the relative table of merit of visiting teams, occupied by the combination which, in 1928-29, for the first time since the war - or to be more exact, since 1911-12 - won in Australia the rubber for England. Having had the good fortune to see all their matches, I have no hesitation in allotting to them a very high position. There may have been a teams which included players more brilliant and skilful individually but rarely has a side gone to Australia and played from beginning to end of a strenuous and in many respects tiring tour with the team spirit so admirably maintained in every engagement'.

Southerton goes on to describe the “barracking” which greeted the English players but on this occasion at least did not deter them. The tour was a considerable sporting and financial success, generating a large amount of revenue for the M.C.C. to invest back in to county and grass roots cricket.

1. M. S. Otranto

Built in 1925 as an ocean liner and a mail carrying ship, in association with the Royal Mail, Otranto was a product of the Vickers-Armstrong yard in Barrow-in-Furness. Weighing just over 20,000 tons, she had twin propellers driven by six steam turbines. During WWII she was requisitioned as a troop ship and later modified to act as an infantry landing ship. After the cessation of hostilities she returned to operation as a passenger liner, making her final voyage to Australia in 1957.

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 22^nd 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 3^rd 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 23^rd 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.