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George III pair of mahogany console tables which convert into a twin pillar dining table
A rare and most unusual late George III pair of mahogany console tables which convert into a twin pillar dining table, each of the two tops set on a turned baluster support on four splayed legs terminating in the original brass castors, once rotated these tops make space on the frame for the addition of two leaves, both ends and leaves with outstanding solid matched timbers. English, c1810. As console tables each: H 28 ¼ in W 50in D 24 ½ in As a single long table: H 28 ¼ in W50 in L overall 99 ½in
A pair of Napoleon III satinwood side tables or bedside tables

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

A centre table attributed to Holland and Sons related to a table in Clarence House
A centre table attributed to Holland and Sons related to a table in Clarence House, this exceptional table has a circular top decorated with six radiating amboyna veneers with a border of concentric marquetry rings. The decoration comprising kingwood bands within boxwood stringing, a continuous boxwood laurel wreath with ivory berries on a satinwood ground and further amboyna borders. The frieze has amboyna crossbanding and applied ormolu sunburst medallions. The support is composed of purpleheart columns inlaid with kingwood, terminating in low splayed feet, which encircle a classical urn on a plinth. The superb ormolu mounts include acanthus leaves, classical masks and patera. English, circa 1860. A table with a similar base and particularly fine ormolu mounts was exhibited by Holland and Sons in the International Exhibition in 1862 and illustrated as plate 40 in J. B. Waring’s book (see pages 100-103 for further references to this exhibition). A further closely related piece was in the collection of the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and is shown in the Morning Room in Clarence House in the Daily Mail’s article ‘Inside the private world of Prince Charles’, November 2018. Originally founded by Stephen Taprell and William Holland, a relation of the architect Henry Holland, the firm worked extensively for the Royal Family, being granted a Royal Warrant by Queen Victoria for the decoration and furnishing of Osborne House, Sandringham and Marlborough House. They exhibited at all the major international exhibitions from 1851 to 1878 and produced over 300 separate commissions for the British government, including work at the Palace of Westminster and the Victoria and Albert Museum 
Regency free standing Gonzalo Alves writing table or library table
A late Regency free standing Gonzalo Alves writing table or library table, the rectangular top set above two frieze drawers on one side and dummy drawers to the reverse. Raised upon end supports in the form of vases carved with scrolls and foliage on bold lion’s paw feet, enclosing the original hidden castors and joined by a turned stretcher. English, c 1820.
An Important Regency Period Library Table Made After Designs by Thomas Hope
An Important Regency Period Library Table Made After Designs by Thomas Hope and Identical to a Pair of Tables at Beechwood Park and Another Potentially From Malahide in Ireland [caption id="attachment_15557" align="alignleft" width="240"]Beechwood Park, Hertfordshire, by Country Life on the 19th of November 1938. Beechwood Park, Hertfordshire, by Country Life on the 19th of November 1938.[/caption] A Regency oak drum table, the circular leather-inset top with ebony stringing above two deep, twoshallow and four dummy frieze drawers with the original leopard-head ring handles, the solid triform base with bold ebonized lion’s paw feet and castors and inlaid in holly with classical wreaths encircling paterae, English, c1815.  This table, or monopedium as described by the connoisseur and designer Thomas Hope, is made in oak inlaid with ebony. On stylistic grounds it would be logical to date it to around 1815 but a recent discovery has led us to believe that the table might well have been made a little earlier in around 1810. This discovery involves a pair of library tables of identical design to this one which were photographed in situ at Beechwood Park, Hertfordshire, by Country Life on the 19th of November 1938 In the article, Arthur Oswald suggested that the regency library at Beechwood was built around 1810 and, although no architect or furniture maker can be definitively connected with the commission, he suggested that Marsh and Tatham might well have been responsible. The Beechwood tables are identical to ours in every respect apart from the position of the escutcheons on the drawers-the Beechwood examples overlap the stringing for some reason whereas those on our table sit within the stringing as would be expected. Our tables and the Beechwood one share the same ebony inlay, ebonised moulding on the base of the plinth and identical lion's head handles. On the 4th of September 1980, Country Life carried an advert for the great dealer Temple Williams-a well-known specialist in regency furniture-in which he illustrated another table of identical design. The advert suggests that the table might have come from Malahide in Ireland-another great country house. What is interesting about this advert is that the table's measurements are given and the diameter of the top, at 4ft, is exactly the same as ours. This suggests that our table is part of a very small and important group of library tables employing the same inlay that must have been executed for a group of elite customers at the beginning of the 19th century. We are delighted to be able to offer this superb table to the next generation of connoisseur collectors.
An unusual and attractive centre table by Maxie Lane – RESERVED
An unusual and attractive centre table by Maxie Lane, carved from solid elm with an irregular shaped top raised on two D-shaped supports and a circular cruciform stretcher. English, circa 1978.   Footnote:  Maxie Lane (1910-2014) Colourful and flamboyant lumberjack, artist, sculptor and author Maxie Lane died, in Andover, aged 104.  The sculptor, who famously cut through his meal, a table and chairs in a restaurant because the steak was said to be tough, served in the Army and the Navy but nevertheless was totally unconventional and anti-establishment.  He wrote a trilogy of autobiographical books, appeared on television with Russell Harty and Esther Rantzen and exhibited in some of the top galleries in the world including the Tate Modern.  He used a chainsaw to carve furniture from the solid wood of trees he felled.  His ‘Last Supper Table’ was made from a casualty of Dutch Elm disease and is on permanent display at Furzey Gardens, in the New Forest.  It is said to be the largest solid English elm piece in the world. Photos by MarkWNS text from Furzey Gardens, Hampshire [caption id="attachment_11686" align="alignnone" width="859"]Maxi Lane table Maxi Lane table[/caption] “Maxie and his son Max junior felled the 25 ton tree. They then set about the massive trunk which was twice the size of the finished work. Using the largest chainsaws available they carved and sculpted the primitive shape of the table. This work took some two weeks. They then worked for a further three months with axe, adze, plane and chisel honing and coaxing out the natural lines and flow of the grain. Paramount to Maxie at this stage was the preservation of the tree's character and integrity. He would only be satisfied with the end result if he felt that his interpretation had complimented the elemental spirit of the tree. The final work consisted of creating a fine finish and patina to the table. This was achieved over many months by constant caress of the wood with four varying grades of sandpaper. The table was then coated with beeswax and a natural wood polish created by Maxie and finally applied.  When finished, the table weighed 2.5 tonnes. It is believed that this is the largest Elm table in existence. The "last supper" table was created by Maxie as an epitaph to the last of the giant English elm trees which were all but wiped from our landscape in the 20th century.” “He was always on the side of the underdog and underprivileged and always striving for freedom and justice for the down trodden”.
A Fine Quality Amboyna Veneered George IV Period Writing Table, Attributed to Morel and Seddon c.1825-30

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.

An unusual George IV specimen marble backgammon table attributed to Gillows
An unusual George IV specimen marble backgammon table attributed to Gillows. This rectangular table is strongly attributed to Gillows.  It has a rectangular top inlaid with a central chess board flanked by two backgammon fields, all inlaid with a multitude of specimen marbles.  One edge carved and gilded with the Latin motto ‘Turpe est in patria vivere et patriam ignorare’.  The oak base has a drawer for cards and playing pieces, all raised on a square section support with four splayed legs and the original brass castors.  English, circa 1830. Provenance: Geoffrey Bennison Ltd, London, November 1983 The Mermaid House Collection, St. John's Wood, London  Property of a gentleman Private American collection The form of the base of this table is related to several known Gillows commissions from the late Regency period and the quality of the cabinet work also suggests that firm attribution to the firm.  Backgammon tables, rather than more general games tables, are unusual at this date and the use of inlaid specimen marbles in the top suggests a client of wealth.  Additionally, the Latin text on the edge of the table provides further clues.  The text, Turpe est in patria vivere et patriam ignorare, translates as “it is shameful to live in your homeland and not know it”.  This phrase dates back to antiquity but rose to prominence once again in the mid-18th century when used by the botanist and key Enlightenment figure Carl Linnaeus in his work on the native flora of Sweden.  The combination of this phrase and the use of native English timbers and marbles is promoting English raw materials and craftsmanship at a time when the noble and the wealthy were focussed on European pietra dura tables.  Mermaid House in St John's Wood was re-designed by Chester Jones, at that time at Colefax and Fowler the famous firm of interior decorators, from 1980 onwards.  An artist's impression of the client's library shows the present table at the far right of the image.  The table was purchased, from the highly respected decorative dealer Geoffrey Bennison in 1983.
An Unusual and Attractive Centre Table by Maxie Lane
An Unusual and Attractive Centre Table by Maxie Lane, carved from solid elm with an irregular shaped top supported by four bowed legs and a circular cruciform stretcher. English c1970.
 
 
Footnote: Maxie Lane (1910-2014)
Colourful and flamboyant lumberjack, artist, sculptor and author Maxie Lane died, in Andover, aged 104.  The sculptor, who famously cut through his meal, a table and chairs in a restaurant because the steak was said to be tough, served in the Army and the Navy but nevertheless was totally unconventional and anti-establishment.  He wrote a trilogy of autobiographical books, appeared on television with Russell Harty and Esther Rantzen and exhibited in some of the top galleries in the world including the Tate Modern. He used a chainsaw to carve furniture from the solid wood of trees he felled.  His ‘Last Supper Table’ was made from a casualty of Dutch Elm disease and is on permanent display at Furzey Gardens, in the New Forest. It is said to be the largest solid English elm piece in the world.    
   
“Maxie and his son Max junior felled the 25 ton tree. They then set about the massive trunk which was twice the size of the finished work.
Using the largest chainsaws available they carved and sculpted the primitive shape of the table. This work took some two weeks. They then worked for a further three months with axe, adze, plane and chisel honing and coaxing out the natural lines and flow of the grain. Paramount to Maxie at this stage was the preservation of the tree’s character and integrity. He would only be satisfied with the end result if he felt that his interpretation had complimented the elemental spirit of the tree.
The final work consisted of creating a fine finish and patina to the table. This was achieved over many months by constant caress of the wood with four varying grades of sandpaper. The table was then coated with beeswax and a natural wood polish created by Maxie and finally applied.  When finished, the table weighed 2.5 tonnes. It is believed that this is the largest Elm table in existence. The “last supper” table was created by Maxie as an epitaph to the last of the giant English elm trees which were all but wiped from our landscape in the 20th century.”
Maltese Specimen Marble Table Top Attributed to Darmanin of Malta
An early 19th century Maltese pietre dure table top attributed to Darmanin on a later patinated bronze and gilt bronze base. The circular brass bound top inlaid with various specimen marbles including porter, siena, jasper, verde antico, brêche violette and antique red, with central circular medallion of a Grecian warrior inlaid with 'CART' 'HAGO', on a later gilt brass low table base. Marble tops decorated with emblems of Carthage recalling Maltaês ancient past as part of the Phoenician Empire are particularly associated with the firm of J. Darmanin & Sons of Malta (known to the local market as Guiseppe Darmanin e Figli). Many of their tops were arrived in Britain as souvenirs of European travels, although the firm were originally known for decorating churches and church monuments. The table top offered here depicts a Carthaginian warrior who appears on other tables by the Darmanin firm notably the pair of tables supplied to the 3rd Marquess of Londonderry at Wynyard Park and sold Christies, New York, 27 September 2007, lot 300. Another top featuring the warrior is illustrated in E.T Joy, English Furniture, 1800-1850, London 1977, p.284. A table top depicting the warrior and attributed to Darmanin formerly with Adrian Alan Ltd, London is illustrated by Kate Hay in Mosaic Marble Tables by J.Darmanin & Sons of Malta, Furniture History,2010, Figure 25. The table Darmanin showed at the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London is now in the Royal Collection at Buckingham Palace.
A Regency extending dining table by Morgan & Sanders, suppliers to Lord Nelson
This large mahogany imperial action dining table has rounded ends each housing the telescopic action that extends the table to varying lengths, three extra leaves and eight brass clips.  It is supported on six turned tapering and reeded legs with brass caps and castors, each end with large brass handle engraved 'Patent Morgan & Sanders Inventors & Manufacturers, 16 & 17 Catherine Street Strand London'. English, circa 1815.  Height: 28¾ in (73 cm) Length closed: 74in (188 cm) Extended 13ft 4in (406 cm)  Width: 59½ in (151 cm) Literature: Nicholas A. Brawer, British Campaign Furniture - Elegance under Canvas, 1740-1914, New York, 2001, pp.192-193, pls.D50-D52 for a very similar dining table. Morgan & Sanders was established in 1800 by Thomas Morgan & Joseph Sanders, both of whom had worked for the cabinetmaker Thomas Butler at 13–14 Catherine Street, London.  Initially, they produced campaign furniture, that is, furniture which could be easily knocked down and packed fairly flat, for the use of officers in military service.  The Napoleonic War required an ever-expanding British Army and Navy, thus also increasing the demand for all types of campaign furniture, from collapsible beds and chairs to portable camp chests and dining tables.  The latter were dining tables which, when closed, might seat only four to six people, but could accommodate up to twenty people when fully extended.  Admiral Lord Nelson purchased some of this collapsible furniture for his cabin aboard HMS Victory as can be seen in the photograph below.  Morgan & Sanders designed an ‘imperial’ action dining table and matching sideboard for Merton Place, Nelson’s country house in Surrey.  Two of their best sellers were the ‘Nelson Sideboard’ and the ‘Trafalgar Chair’ a metamorphic library chair.  After the autumn of 1805, Morgan & Sanders renamed their premises  Trafalgar House, in honour of that resounding victory. 
A Regency ormolu mounted rosewood two drawer writing table in the manner of John McLean and Gillows of Lancaster

A Regency ormolu mounted rosewood two drawer writing table in the manner of John McLean and Gillows of Lancaster, the shaped rectangular top inset with tooled blue leather, with two cedar lined frieze drawers decorated with matching veneers and boxwood stringing, all raised on slender tapering legs turned with three pairs of rings, applied with brass edging, anthemion panels and collars.  English, circa 1815.

Footnote: This interesting table is veneered in the finest rosewood. The design seems to be based on a Thomas Sheraton card table, featured in his Cabinet Maker and Upholsterer's Drawing Book  first published in 1791.  Some details resemble the known work of John McLean, one of the premier London makers of the regency period. The gilt brass collars to the legs sometimes feature on bonheur du jours attributed to McLean and the gilt brass banding around the table top features on some of the best secretaires by the same maker. McLean also had a particular fondness for rosewood and the quality of this piece is certainly equivalent to his known work. McLean seems to have drawn from a relatively small number of gilt brass mounts for his pieces, however, and the fine mounts on our table do not seem to match those on any documented piece by the firm. It is for this reason that a Gillows attribution is tentatively suggested for this piece. The overall design of the legs is very much in the Gillows manner and the mounts look much more like the pieces the firm used on its better pieces during the period concerned.

A Maltese pietra dura table top attributed to Joseph Darmanin & Sons

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.

A Regency period rosewood sofa games table attributed to Gillows of Lancaster
A Regency period rosewood sofa games table attributed to Gillows of Lancaster; the top with rounded ends covered in the original distressed leather, with a central reversible chess board which can be removed to display a backgammon board beneath, the frieze with a dummy drawer retaining its original gilded handles and decorated with ormolu mounts; having elegant lyre ends raised on outswept legs terminating in acanthus cap castors. English, circa 1815. Provenance: Hermione Countess of Ranfurly The Countess of Ranfurly was the author of ‘To War with Whitaker’ her memoirs of life in Cairo with Eisenhower.  Her husband was the 6th Earl of Ranfurly and the Governor General of Bahamas between 1953 and 1956. Footnote: The design for a rosewood sofa table in the sketch book of 13 April 1813, made for John Gladstone of Liverpool, father of the future Prime Minister, is published in Susan E Stuart, Gillows of Lancaster and London, 1730-1840, Antique Collectors’ Club, Woodbridge, 2008 Vol I, p.265, pl. 270.  When the firm made the ‘sofa backgammon table, to suit the above’ (p267, pls 272 and 273) no expense was spared.  With the extra tooled morocco leather for the interior backgammon board, the additional labour for that and inlaying the chess board and the 85 feet of brass beading at 3d per foot (as opposed to the 69ft on the sofa table) this version of the table, at £19 4s. 5d, cost a full pound more to produce. Sadly, there is no record of the sale price asked of Mr Gladstone. Read our Gillows Blog here – The Furniture of Gillows and their design records 
A Charles X Tooled-leather Lamp Table
This rare Charles X table has a small round top with an aquatint inset under glass within an ormolu gallery. The engraving shows the Three Graces stealing arrows from Cupid as he sleeps curled up against a rock. The table itself comprises a frieze drawer in the central drum above a facetted straight support on three cabriole legs with brass castors. It is decorated throughout in gilt-tooled red leather with classical motifs and borders including armorial trophies, sphinxes and honey bees. French, circa 1825. This exquisite table showcases a captivating artwork by the renowned 18th-century Swiss artist Angelica Kauffman. The table displays a beautifully reproduced print of Kauffman's masterpiece, Cupid Disarm'd by the Graces, which features three graceful women playfully disarming Cupid. Kauffman, a prominent member of the Royal Academy, was celebrated for her Neoclassical style that emphasized harmony, balance, and idealized beauty. The image on the lamp table's surface is a testament to the skillful collaboration between Kauffman, printmaker G. Scorodoomo, and the Boydell family, a prominent English family of publishers, engravers, and print sellers. The Boydells played a crucial role in popularizing British art during the 18th and 19th centuries. The engraving captures the essence of Kauffman's original painting while adding depth and detail through the intricate printmaking process. Footnote: Born in 1741 in Switzerland, Angelica Kauffman was a gifted artist who gained recognition as one of the most successful female painters of her time. A member of the prestigious Royal Academy, Kauffman was celebrated for her portraits, history paintings, and decorative art. Her work was influenced by the Neoclassical movement, which emphasized harmony, balance, and idealized beauty. Cupid Disarm'd by the Graces: A Masterpiece by Kauffman One of Kauffman's most notable works, Cupid Disarm'd by the Graces, is an enchanting painting that showcases her mastery of composition and color. The painting features three graceful women surrounding a cherubic Cupid, playfully disarming him of his bow and arrows. The delicate balance of the figures, the soft color palette, and the harmonious interplay of the characters exemplify Kauffman's skill and the influence of the Neoclassical movement on her work.
A pair of George IV rosewood flower or crocus tables, attributed to Gillows
A pair of George IV rosewood flower or crocus tables, attributed to Gillows, each of rectangular form with a tray top with a removable central panel above a tin liner for growing bulbs disguised within the frieze, all raised on a tripod turned, fluted and gadrooned support with acanthus scroll feet.  English, circa 1845.

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 circular Derbyshire Black Marble pietra dura table, attributed to Tomlinson
A circular Derbyshire Black Marble pietra dura table, attributed to Tomlinson. the circular top is inlaid in pietra dura with three delicate butterflies and a circlet of British spring flowers, these include white periwinkles, convolvulus, lily of the valley, fuchsia and forsythia, against a profusion of green leaves, all raised on a turned and gadrooned baluster support with a tripod base.  English, circa 1850.  Chapter 10 of John Michael Tomlinson’s book Derbyshire Black Marble (Ashbourne, 1996) covers the Ashbourne marble entries from the Art Journal Illustrated Catalogue of the Great Exhibition, 1851.  The listing for John Tomlinson, the author’s ancestor, describes a mosaic portrait of Queen Victoria and numerous oblong, circular or octagonal tables.  The one illustrated (above right) had the following caption ‘Mr. Tomlinson, of Ashford, Derbyshire, one of the many ingenious manufacturers of the native spars and marbles of the county, contributes, among other articles, the Table here engraved.  The stem as well as the top is made of black marble; a wreath of flowers and leaves in their natural colours encircles the top; the table is entirely formed of the spars of Derbyshire.’
A George IV rosewood and scagliola occasional table attributed to Gillows c.1825
The rectangular top of this table tilts up to display a scagliola landscape scene showing the ruins of the Roman Forum, the Temples of Vespasian and Saturn, the Column of Phocas and a stylised version of one of the triumphal arches in Rome, all within gilt beaded and scrolling foliate borders on a black ground. The image on the panel is based on the print Veduta Generale del Foro Romano by Luigi Rossini from his series Le Antichità Romane published in 1817. An impression of the print in the collection of the British Museum, registration number 1935,0520.80 As can be seen by close comparison of the images, the Della Valle workshop made subtle changes to Rossini's composition, adding figures to the foreground, removing the cattle and generally scaling back the trees and foliage on the right hand side of the composition amongst other changes. There is absolutely no doubt that this was the source image for the table top however and that helps to further establish a likely time frame for the construction of the piece. The scagliola panel has a rosewood surround with moulded edges set on a baluster support above an acanthus carved shaft descending to four scroll supports, the quatre form base on four winged volute feet, with recessed castors. English, circa 1825. The top is almost certainly by Pietro Della Valle. A very similar table in Woolley and Wallis, Salisbury, carried the paper trade label for Peter Della Valle & Brothers, Manufactures & Painters of Scagliola, Per Porta Cappuccini, Leghorn. The Peter della Valle brothers were accomplished Italian artists in scagliola, with workshops in Livorno (or Leghorn as it was known in English) on the Ligurian coast. One famous example of their work is a scagliola top of a table exhibited by the brothers at the Great Exhibition of 1851. Having previously been on loan to the Los Angeles Museum it now forms part of The Gilbert Collection in London. See Anna Maria Massinelli, ‘The Gilbert Collection, Hardstones, pub. Philip Wilson, 2000’ exhib. 33 p.103 Provenance The collection of John Evetts, Furnishing Manager of the Landmark Trust, whose family lived at Wormington Grange for four generations. Read our Gillows Blog here – The Furniture of Gillows and their design records 
A Goncalo Alves (Albuera wood) writing table by Gillows and Bullock
A Goncalo Alves (Albuera wood) writing table by Gillows and Bullock, the rectangular leather-inset top is inlaid with a wide band of paired ivy leaves and double borders in brass Boulle-work inlaid into ebony, probably by George Bullock, all above two frieze drawers.  The two end supports have turned and gadrooned upper sections above twin columns, all raised on acanthus carved cabriole legs joined by a turned stretcher and with their original castors.  English, circa 1825. Literature:  Susan E Stuart, Gillows of Lancaster and London, 1730-1840, Antique Collectors’ Club, Woodbridge, 2008 Vol. I, pp.267-268, pls. 274, 275 and 276. In describing this table (plate 275 above) Susan Stuart attributes it to Gillow & Co because of its similarity to a rosewood writing table in the Estimate Sketch Book of June 1825 (plate 274).  She also writes ‘the most intriguing thing about is piece is the brass inlay or boulle (buhl) work which forms a border on the table top’.  She then confirms that it was a pattern commonly used by George Bullock of Birmingham and later London, and that there had been a long history of co-operation between the two firms dating from the 18th century.  Two other pieces of furniture with brass Boulle-work are illustrated on the preceding pages. Read our Gillows Blog here – The Furniture of Gillows and their design records 
Regency amboyna centre table, attr. to E H Baldock
Late Regency Amboyna centre table, attributed to the workshop of Edward Holmes Baldock. The circular top with a shaped apron set upon a solid triform base with powerful scroll feet, decorated with a central marquetry roundel of flowers and a butterfly in rosewood. stained boxwood, ebony, palm and ivory, within borders of scrolling acanthus. English c.1830 Footnote: Edward Holmes Baldock (1777-1845) was a prominent London furniture dealer to the Royal Family. He was listed in the London trade directories of 1821 as 'an antique furniture and ornamental furniture dealer' and in 1826 as a buyer and seller of 'china, cabinets, screens, bronzes' to patrons including William IV and Queen Victoria. Provenance: With similarities to a centre table in the style of Baldock sold at Christie's, 24th September 1987, lot 386. E.H. Baldock was fashionable London art dealer, furniture maker and restorer who traded from Hanway Street between 1805 and his retirement in 1843. See C. Gilbert 'Furniture at Temple Newsam and Latheran Hall, 1978, Vol. II, no 395'. The form of this table may have been inspired by a design in Richard Bridgens 'Furniture with Candelabra, 1838', for a 'Marquetrie Centre Table'.
A Regency rosewood end support sofa table, attributed to Gillows – RESERVED

A Regency rosewood end support sofa table, attributed to Gillows, the rectangular top with two hinged flaps veneered in continuous figured veneers, the frieze with two drawers and two dummy drawers, raised on panelled end supports joined by a turned stretcher, with lion’s paw feet. English, circa 1815

Footnote: Susan Stuart illustrates several end support sofa tables in ‘Gillows of Lancaster and London, 1730-1840’, Vol. I, 2008, Woodbridge, pp. 265-267, pls 270-273.  Plate 270 shows the drawing for a table for John Gladstone from Liverpool, in the estimate sketch book dated April 1813 with very similar supports described as ‘pedestal ends’

A nest of five Regency specimen wood tables attributed to Gillows

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

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 Regency specimen marble centre table
This gilt-wood table has a wide gadrooned edge enclosing a black marble top with a central still life of a Grecian vase, a string of pearls, shells, a branch of coral and some flowers, within a blue band, surrounded by four cornucopia and an additional laurel border.  The variety of Italian stones includes semi-precious agates, some translucent, malachite and lapis lazuli.  The whole is raised on a central turned baluster support and three legs, carved in high relief with acanthus leaves and deep scrolls.  English, circa 1815. This centre table is attributed to Gillows because the carved bosses on the curling acanthus leaves wrapping round the feet and the gadrooned edge round the top are typical of Gillows features.  For a comparison see Susan E Stuart, Gillows of Lancaster and London 1730-1840, (ibid), Vol 1, p.268.  For other pietra dura tops see Anna Maria Massinelli, ‘The Gilbert Collection, hard stones,’ 2000 pp.109-110.  It was common practice for wealthy travellers and young aristocrats to bring back pietra dura panels from their ‘Grand Tours’ and have them set into tables by English cabinet makers. Read our Gillows Blog here – The Furniture of Gillows and their design records   
A George IV tilt-top centre table by George Bullock
A George IV tilt-top centre table by George Bullock, the circular top with an amboyna field centred on a circle of brown oak, burr yew and holly, the border decorated with a floral meander in kingwood within ebony bands and beads, the edge of gadrooned Indian rosewood, the solid triangular base also of amboyna set on a tapering tripod base with rosewood detailing and winged lion’s paw feet.  English, c1820.   Footnote:  See George Bullock Cabinet-Maker by John Murray, Blairman & Sons, Chichester, 1988, No. 33, pp95-97  for a related table purchased by the Earl of Wemyss from the Bullock Sale of 1819 and described in the catalogue as ‘a circular table of very scare and finely veined oak, with running border of flowers and foliage of ebony on massive triangular panelled stand’.
A very fine pair of George III mahogany and plum pudding mahogany concertina action card tables
A very fine pair of George III mahogany and plum pudding mahogany concertina action card tables, each with square cut corners and recessed sides, the hinged tops opening to reveal a baize lined interior with counter recesses and candle stands, one hinge stamped ‘H.P. Tibats.’  English, circa 1780. Provence: Jeremy Ltd., London Footnote: Many fine pieces of 18th century furniture, particularly card tables, bear the stamp 'H. TIBATS' on their hinges. The stamp almost certainly refers to Hugh Tibbatts, 'hinge and sash fastening maker' of Bell Street, Wolverhampton, listed relatively late in the 1781 Pearson & Rollason Directory for Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Dudley, Bilston and Willenhall.  A concertina-action card table, circa 1755-60, with quadrant hinges stamped 'H. Tibats’ is in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum (W.65:1-1962).
A George III revolving mahogany drum table attributed to Gillows

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

[caption id="attachment_17658" align="alignnone" width="446"]A George III revolving mahogany drum table attributed to Gillows A George III revolving mahogany drum table attributed to Gillows[/caption] Read our Gillows Blog here - The Furniture of Gillows and their design records 
A fine Derbyshire black marble end support specimen table

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

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.

An Anglo-Chinese padouk metamorphic architect’s table
An Anglo-Chinese padouk metamorphic architect’s table, this apparently simple table is an infinitely versatile desk.  The rectangular top has a moulded edge.  It opens to create a large reading slope and encloses two candle arms.  The front section has split legs so that the entire frieze pulls out to reveal a baize covered writing slope which can be used flat or tilted up on a rachet.  Concealed under the slope is a drawer fitted with one large and several smaller compartments.  Anglo-Chinese, circa 1780. Height closed: 30½ in (77.5 cm) Width: 29¾ in (75.5 cm) Depth: 20¾ in (52.5 cm)   Max height: 47 ¼ in (120 cm) Max depth 31 ½ in (80cm)
A large George IV brass inlaid rosewood centre table attributed to Gillows
The circular tilt top has a central field of book-matched, figured rosewood within a broad band of cut brass inlay.  The edge is boldly carved with an acanthus and dart border.  The central support is hexagonal in section with a broad central flange, raised on three powerful and ornately carved legs.  The knees are presented as bold acanthus carved and gadrooned volutes.  The lions’ paw feet have clearly defined knuckles and claws and enclose the original brass castors.  English, circa 1825. See also S. Stuart, Gillows of Lancaster and London 1730-1840, Antique Collectors’ Club, Woodbridge, 2008, Vol II, pl. E.5, which shows a pattern for this table in a drawing room layout designed for G.Bamford about 1820-30.  The drawing also shows a pair of bergères and a sofa which correspond to a suite supplied by Gillow & Co. in 1824 to Thomas Wynn (d.1832), 2nd Baron Newborough, for Glynllifon, Caernarvonshire, Wales.  Parallels to the cut-brass work and anthemion carved edging on a long table are shown ibid., Vol. I, p.291, pls 308 and 309.
An octagonal Derbyshire Black Marble table with Lapis Lazuli, attributed to Tomlinson
The top of this table is inlaid with a large wreath of British garden flowers, including predominately white stephanotis, lilac, carnations, lilies, roses, lilies of the valley, fuchsias and two sprays of bright blue forget-me-nots, all against a profusion of leaves, raised on a turned and gadrooned baluster support with a tripod base.  English, circa 1850.  Height: 30½in (77.5cm) Diameter: 34¼ in (87cm) Literature: John Michael Tomlinson, Derbyshire Black Marble, Ashbourne, 1996, p.61, shows a very similar table with a circular top exhibited at the Great Exhibition of 1851.   Ashford marble, as it is sometimes called, is in fact a type of limestone rather than a marble, which turns a deep glossy black when polished.  Produced from only two quarries near Ashford-in-the-Water, Derbyshire, it was primarily used for expensive commissions.  Bess of Hardwick installed a chimney piece at Chatsworth as early as 1580 and William Spencer Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire (1790-1858) encouraged its revival after admiring Florentine work in Italy..  The stone became fashionable as a material for both ornaments and furniture after featuring at the Great Exhibition of 1851 in an exhibit sponsored by Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria.  
A Regency brass-inlaid rosewood sofa table attributed to Gillows

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 Regency amboyna and gilt library table attributed to Seddon and Morel
A Regency amboyna and gilt library table attributed to Seddon and Morel, with a rectangular top set upon solid end supports with a turned, reeded and gilded stretcher and gilded foliate scroll feet. It is decorated throughout with rich amboyna veneers and gilt gesso edging to the top and end supports. English, circa 1815. This is similar to a group of tables supplied to Windsor Castle by Morel and Seddon, some of which are now in Buckingham Palace. When Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth gave her Christmas Address in 2018, she was seated at a slightly larger one with bun, as opposed to scroll, feet.
A Regency amboyna and gilt library table attributed to Seddon and Morel
A Regency amboyna and gilt library table attributed to Seddon and Morel, with a rectangular top set upon solid end supports with a turned, reeded and gilded stretcher and gilded bun feet, decorated throughout with rich amboyna veneers and gilt gesso edging to the top and inside the panels of the end supports. English, circa 1815. This is similar to a group of tables supplied to Windsor Castle by Morel and Seddon, some of which are now in Buckingham Palace. When Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth gave her Christmas Address in 2018, she was seated at a more ornate version with a rich gilt scrolls down the front of the supports.
An olivewood writing table by Wright and Mansfield
This freestanding writing table has a rectangular leather inset top surmounted by a gallery with an openwork ormolu grille and four columns. The frieze has one long and two short mahogany-lined drawers. It is decorated throughout with figured olivewood panels and ormolu mounts, while the tapering legs have ormolu stop-fluting. Stamped in the middle drawer ‘Wright and Mansfield’ and ‘104 New Bond St.’. Locks stamped ‘Royal letter patent four levers safety lock’. English, circa 1860. Wright and Mansfield, 104 Bond Street, rose to prominence after exhibiting, amongst other things, a painted piano, two bookcases and a fireplace inlaid with Wedgwood plaques at the 1862 International Exhibition in London. They consolidated this success by winning the only gold medal ever awarded to an English cabinetmaker at the Exposition Universelle Paris, 1867 with a ‘remarkable satinwood, marquetry, bronze and Wedgwood mounted cabinet’. The gold medal was presented personally to Wright and Mansfield by Napoleon III and the cabinet was subsequently purchased by the Victoria and Albert Museum for the enormous sum, in those days, of £800. Please see the following pages for other tables attributed to Wright and Mansfield.
A large Regency mahogany serving table attributed to Gillows
A large Regency mahogany serving table attributed to Gillows, the shaped top above a fluted frieze with four superb ormolu lion’s mask roundels, all raised on six slender, tapering reeded legs with ormolu ball feet.  English, circa 1815. Footnote: For two very similar tables see George Smith's A Collection of Designs for Household Furniture and Interior Decoration, published in 1808 and an advertisement for the Scottish dealers A. Fraser & Co in the July 1928 edition of Connoisseur magazine. Read our Gillows Blog here – The Furniture of Gillows and their design records 
A Napoleon III parquetry card table by Sormani

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.

An early Victorian Goncalo Alves card table attributed to Gillows
An early Victorian Goncalo Alves card table attributed to Gillows, the hinged rectangular top with bead and reel edging, the green baize (replaced) interior within quarter veneered corners, the turned, knopped end supports gadrooned and set upon two feet with lion’s paw feet and disguised castors.  English, circa 1850. For a pair of very similar Goncalo Alves card tables belonging to Miss K M Newstead of Liverpool, see Susan Stuart, Gillows of Lancaster and London 1730-1840, Antique Collectors’ Club, Woodbridge, 2008, Vol. p.263, pl 267. Read our Gillows Blog here – The Furniture of Gillows and their design records 
A rare Anglo-Chinese hardwood picnic table
A rare Anglo-Chinese hardwood picnic table. This portable table separates into three sections, with a securing boss.  The circular top is inlaid with six rouge marble segments centred on a roundel.  Each panel is framed in hardwood inlaid in brass with delicate leafy scrolls.  The six reeded legs fold flat and are centred on a carved knot boss when opened.  They, in turn, slot into a further base joined by serpentine stretchers and raised on six scroll feet which hide the original English castors.  Chinese, circa 1840.  
A Regency mahogany end support library table
A Regency mahogany end support library table, the rectangular top extensively inset in tooled leather above a frieze with drawers opening on all four sides, the solid rectangular supports with bold scrolling corbels and joined by a turned, tapering stretcher.  English, circa 1810. Footnote:  The shape and style of this table were popular Gillow’s and the page (illustrated) from the Gillow’s ‘Estimate Sketch-book’, now in the Westminster City Archive, shows the design for a very similar piece. The deeply carved corbels, the details on the scrolls and the reeding to the stretcher are all typical features.  
A French demi-lune rosewood bow and arrow table by Georges-François Alix
A French demi-lune rosewood bow and arrow table by Georges-François Alix, the hemispherical top with an ormolu gallery and disguised frieze drawer, all raised on four stylised quivers joined by a drawn bow and ormolu arrow, inlaid throughout with a variety of exotic woods with a fan and floral motifs. French, circa 1890. Footnote: Georges-François Alix (1846-1906) was established at 46, rue de Charonne and in 1878 moved to 6 bis, rue Richard Lenoir. He specialised in 'meubles genre ancien, bronzes et marqueteries' and exhibited at the Paris Expositions of 1884, 1885 and 1889. See page No 240 In Christopher Paynes book Paris furniture . The luxury of the 19th century, for an identical pair of table by Ali’s.
Early Victorian solid walnut library table made for Gillows by John Barrow
An early Victorian solid walnut library table made for Gillows by John Barrow, the shaped rectangular top decorated in burr walnut within bold reed-and-flute edging above two disguised frieze drawers on one side, raised upon turned and knopped pillar supports on two splayed cabriole legs with deeply carved acanthus on the knees, the claw feet with sunken castors, inscribed in pencil ‘John Barrow’.  English, circa 1840.   John Barrow worked for Gillows of Lancaster from 1825 to 1850.  Susan E Stuart in ‘Gillows of Lancaster and London, 1730-1840,’ Antique Collectors’ Club, Woodbridge, 2008 Vol.II  pp18-19. Pls 547 and 548, illustrates a mahogany commode made for Henry Bold Houghton in 1834 by John Barrow, for which he was paid £4. 6s 8d. Later in the same volume, page 376, pl. GG27, there is a very similar walnut card table with a turning and folding top with identical reed-and-flute edging and set on legs of the same design. Read our Gillows Blog here – The Furniture of Gillows and their design records 
A Victorian burr walnut marquetry library table
A Victorian burr walnut marquetry library table, the lobed top above a disguised frieze drawer raised upon four turned and fluted legs with kingwood banding, decorated with a large central oval inlaid with a bouquet of flowers with butterflies and other insects, all in exotic and stained woods on an ebonized ground, within kingwood, beech and fiddle back maple cross-banded borders inlaid with foliate scrolls and strapwork. English, c1860. View this library table in more detail on Youtube
A nest of Regency specimen wood tables by Gillows of Lancaster
A nest of Regency specimen wood tables by Gillows of Lancaster, each with a rectangular top and rosewood edge, the largest decorated with an amboyna field within rosewood banding, the second rosewood within amboyna, the third bird’s eye maple within amboyna and the smallest with a chess board of all the above woods and a small drawer, all on rosewood turned baluster spindle legs joined by stretchers, the smallest with a concave satinwood stretcher. 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. Read our Gillows Blog here – The Furniture of Gillows and their design records 
Late Regency gilt wood centre table attributed to Gillows
A very attractive antique late Regency gilt wood centre table attributed to Gillow of Lancaster and London, inset with an Italian pietra dura top. The central turned baluster supported on tripod feet, carved in high relief with acanthus leaves and deep scrolls, the solid gilt frieze with a gadrooned edge enclosing a black ground marble top with a central Grecian vase, a string of pearls, shells, a branch of coral and some flowers all within a band of lapis lazuli, surrounded by a further of four cornucopia and an additional laurel border, the marbles including malachite and other semi-precious agates. lapis lazuli. The form of this table with its carved cabochons on the foot and gadrooned edge is typical of the designs of Gillows of Lancaster. For comparison see Susan E Stewart, Gillows of Lancaster of London 1730-1840, 2008, 2 vols, vol 1 pg 268. For further comparisons with the top, see Anna Maria Massinelli, the Gilbert Collection, hard stones, 2000 pg 109-110. Provenance: The cabinet-making firm of Gillows was founded in 1728 by Robert Gillow (1704-1772), who was not only a joiner and cabinet maker but a jack of all trades; architect; house-carpenter and contractor; funeral director; and West Indies merchant. He laid the foundations of a successful firm which retained the Gillows family name for over two hundred and fifty years, and became one of the leading English furniture making firms, and the only firm of its kind to span two centuries and retain branches both in the provinces and the capital city. The firm is however unique in two other respects: firstly, though incomplete, a high proportion of the Gillow Archives have survived including estimate sketch books, letter books, and other business ledgers dating from circa 1730-1930. Secondly, some of their out-put was stamped ‘GILLOWS LANCASTER’ a practice which began about 1790 and enables some of their products to be identified. A few were also signed (and sometimes dated) by the journeyman cabinet maker who made the piece, and occasionally it is even possible to trace the name of the original owner. This of course adds interest and value to a piece of furniture. In 1757 Robert Gillow’s eldest son Richard Gillow (1734-1811) joined his father as an equal partner in the firm of ‘Robert Gillow and son’. He set to further developed the firm, he made new furniture based on London designs, took on apprentices and supervised their training, and ensured that they used only the best timber and other materials despite their cost. 1769 was an important year for the firm. Robert Gillow retired from business leaving his share to his second son Robert Gillow (1747-1795) who joined his elder brother in partnership as '‘Richard and Robert Gillow'’ the same year their cousin Thomas Gillow, founded the Oxford Street shop which became known as '‘Gillows & Taylor'’ and although the London partners were upholsterers and furniture makers from the onset, they also purchased furniture made in Lancaster because it was cheaper to employ journeymen outside London. The Gillow brothers also expanded their overseas trade during the second half of the eighteenth century. Shortly after the death of William Taylor (d. 1775) in January 1776 Robert Gillow (1747-1775) went to London to run the Oxford Street shop. During the last two decades of the 18th century Richard Gillow’s three sons George, Robert and Richard, and his brother Robert Gillow of London’s son also called Robert, all became partners and between them they ran both the London and Lancaster shops. Gillows as upholsterers provided the sort of services offered by an interior decorator today, they supplied and fitted carpets, made up and fitted curtains, supplied wallpapers and men to hang it, in addition to making all sorts of furniture. However, the sudden and unexpected death of two partners at the end of the eighteenth century plus Richard Gillow’s retirement; and a failure in the West Indies trade which led to bankruptcy amongst Lancaster merchants meant that the Lancaster branch fell on hard times at the turn of the century. These factors plus the third generations ‘upward mobility’ in society may well have resulted in the Gillow family’s decision to withdraw gradually from trade. In 1813 the new partners were Redmayne, Whitesides, and Ferguson who gradually bought out the three Gillow brothers George, Robert and Richard, in several instalments lasting over many years. Read our Gillows Blog here – The Furniture of Gillows and their design records 
Early 19th century Mahogany kidney shaped window or writing table
A charming early 19th century Mahogany kidney shaped window or writing table with pieced end supports. This table is in lovely country house condition, circa 1810
Antique Exhibition Quality Silver Fitted Dressing Table
An antique superb exhibition quality silver fitted dressing table. The full-lenght mirror of this superb exhibition quality, satinwood sliver-fitted dressing table by George Betjemann is flanked by two smaller adjustable mirrors above troll top pedestals. Each pedestal opens to expose a hinged quadrant fitted with silver mounted cut crystal ladies toilette and coiffeur accessories. Below this cupboard doors enclose drawers. The whole piece is decorated in bright flame veneers. Fitted for electricity. The silver has assay stamps '1907-8'. Provenance: At the Great Exhibition, Paris 1878 in class 29, Betjemann and Son, of 36 38 and 40 Pentonville Road, Clerkenwell, London had an extensive display which included ingenious self-closing bookslides, extending dressing cases and desks.
A walnut table with an Ashford marble top by Tudsbury of Edwinstowe
The rectangular black marble and pietra dura top is set above a walnut base naturalistically carved with C-scrolls, lilies and foliage on a central lily support with outswept dolphin feet. At the back are two cabriole legs headed by shells and equally ornate carving. The inlaid decoration comprises a central sunburst within a patchwork border of specimen marbles and fossils including: Madrepore, Petworth, Portoro, Brocatelle, Sicilian Jasper and ‘Duke’s Red’. The top of the base is stamped ‘Artist R. Tudsbury Edwinstow. nOTsh.’ Circa 1840. Height: 33in; 84cm Width: 60in; 152.5cm Depth: 361⁄2in; 92.5cm Provenance: Oberton Hall: “The Grecian-black marble top, with its ribbon-banded tablet and polychromed pietre dure compartment is a masterpiece of the Derbyshire Black Marble Works at Ashford and Old Royal Museum, Matlock. It was probably designed by William Adam (d.1873) who succeeded to the Works in 1831. A trade sheet illustration of the Museum featured a related table, where the Museum was noted as being ‘under the Especial Patronage of his Grace [Charles Cavendish, 6th] Duke of Devonshire/Minerals and Shells/Inlaid Tables/Mawe’s Original Royal Museum, Matlock-Bath. The finest Spar, and elegantly engraved Black Marble Ornaments, Chimneypieces etc, London Jewellery’.” Please see page 60 for further information on Ashford Marble. Ashford marble is a type of limestone which can be polished to a glossy black finish. It is quarried in only two sites in Derbyshire and has been used as a decorative building material since Bess of Hardwick commissioned a chimney piece of Ashford stone for Chatsworth. In the 18th century Henry Watson of Bakewell began to produce ornaments and William Spencer Cavendish, the 6th Duke of Devonshire, (1790-1858) commissioned high quality pieces after admiring Florentine micro mosaics during his Grand Tour of Italy. By the 19th century Ashford marble was in vogue both for furniture and ornaments with numerous outstanding pieces being displayed at the 1851 Great Exhibition by such manufacturers as J. Tomlinson, Thos. Woodruff (exhibited by HRH Prince Albert) and G Redfern (awarded a prize medal). See J M Tomlinson, Derbyshire Black Marble, Matlock, 1996, for further details.
An unusual William IV amboyna and oak four drawer library table by Simpson

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 Simpson at No.9. Spencers, Darlington, 1840.’  English, circa 1837.

A mid Victorian mahogany wine table attributed to Gillows

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

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

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.

An early Victorian black and gilt papier-mâché occasional table

An early Victorian black and gilt papier-mâché occasional table, the shaped top delicately painted with shells and seaweed within multiple gilt classical borders, all raised on a barley twist tripod support with further gilt decoration.  English, circa 1850.

A George IV highly figured oak tripod side table attributed to Gillows

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

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

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

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 outstanding and important Regency writing table by William Jamar
This outstanding and important writing table has a rectangular top above two cedar-lined frieze drawers.  It is raised on rectangular section flared end supports with parcel gilt and ebonised scroll spandrels and feet joined by a flat brass inlaid stretcher.  The decoration comprises superb quality amboyna, ebony and calamander veneers.  The top has a central amboyna field within a Boulle work border of inlaid ormolu foliate sprays, while the sides have further amboyna panels within ormolu stringing and calamander crossbanding.  With a copy of the invoice stating it was from the Wellington Collection and probably sold by the 8th Duke.  English, circa 1815. Height: 29¼ in (74.5cm) Width: 50¼ in (127.5cm) Depth: 26in (66 cm) Provenance:  Lord Gerald Wellesley, 7th Duke of Wellington, possibly 11 Titchfield St, London Temple Williams Ltd 1963  (See the Country Life advertisement below) Philip Duncan Ltd, sold in 1969 A distinguished American private collection Published: M. Jourdain and R. Fastnedge Regency Furniture 1795-1830, London, 1965  p.77 fig. 179 Country Life “Summer Calendar” 1963, p.51  Lord Gerald Wellesley, 7th Duke of Wellington (1885-1972) was an Anglo-Irish diplomat (1908-1919) who served as a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Grenadier Guards during World War II and then became an architect.  His collection at 11 Titchfield Terrace was one of the first major regency furniture collections in Britain.  In 1947, he gave Apsley House and its important contents (the Wellington Collection) to the nation with the proviso that he and his family were able to occupy a large portion of it.  He married Dorothy Violet Ashton in 1914, daughter of Robert Ashton of Croughton.  See Wick Antiques, Britain on the High Seas: Trafalgar, Trophies and Trade, pp. 39-44, for a pair of cannons from the Battle of Waterloo owned by Robert Ashton 
An Anglo Indian padouk tripod side table

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

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

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.

An imposing Victorian giltwood console table in the manner of William Kent
An imposing Victorian giltwood console table in the manner of William Kent, the rectangular serpentine marble top set upon a giltwood base superbly carved with scrolls and garlands heavy with fruit centred on a mask of Bacchus wreathed in vines, the legs formed by snarling lions with long manes terminating in hairy paw feet, English, circa 1870.    
A delicate walnut easel dressing table mirror

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.

The Rococo style emerged in 18th century France and is known for its ornate and fanciful designs featuring intricate motifs like C-scrolls, shells, and acanthus leaves. This mirror's asymmetrical frame, with its striking use of curves and asymmetrical balance, exemplifies the Rococo style's love of asymmetry. View a video of this mirror on Youtube
A mid-Victorian free-standing painted satinwood two-tier table

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 Napoleon kingwood marble free-standing writing table attributed to Sormani

A Napoleon kingwood marble free-standing writing table attributed to Sormani, the shaped rectangular top inset with Breche d’Alep marble within wide ormolu edging, all above three frieze drawers on one side with dummy fronts on the other, all raised on cabriole legs, decorated in marquetry with flowerheads scattered on cross-banding and opulent ormolu mounts comprising scrolls, acanthus, sabots and elegant female busts to the corners.  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 George III mahogany Pembroke table

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

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 walnut revolving display table

A Victorian walnut revolving display table, the circular leather inset top within burr walnut cross banding, the frieze also cross-banded in burr walnut, the whole raised upon a turned support with three cabriole legs carved with scrolling acanthus and volutes.  English, 1860

 
A Victorian mahogany revolving display table

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

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

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 Victorian fine satinwood ladies’ writing table attributed to Holland and Sons
A Victorian fine satinwood ladies’ writing table attributed to Holland and Sons, the shaped top set above a narrow frieze with two disguised drawers, all raised on four turned and gilded stop fluted supports on scroll feet, decorated with purpleheart inlays and crossbanding, and fine ormolu mounts.  English, circa 1860.
A Continental brass marble-topped coffee table
A Continental brass marble-topped coffee table, of rectangular form with a pinkish marble top raised upon four waisted and sharply tapering square section legs, decorated with stippled panels.  Circa 1930.  
A George IV ebony-inlaid mahogany tilt-top centre table
A George IV ebony-inlaid mahogany tilt-top centre table, the circular top with a flame-veneered cross-banded border above a moulded frieze with ebony stringing and four small rectangular plaques inset with three ebony buttons, all raised on a flaring square section base with an acanthus carved moulding on a quadri-form base and bold scroll feet. English, circa 1820.
A large and ornate silver table mirror – A wedding gift to Prince and Princess Henry of Battenberg, 1885
This large and ornate silver table mirror has a pointed arch above the original plate. The openwork chased and repoussé silver frame is applied to a matte royal blue velvet ground and comprises an abundance of classical motifs couched in leafy scrolls. Centred at the top is the coat of arms of Princess Beatrice flanked by putti supporting floral swags, while the arms of Prince Henry of Battenberg are centred on the lower border. The sides have entwined initial roundels under a crown and suspended from ribbons with bunches of fruit, cuirasses and masks. The reverse has a silver easel support and a plaque inscribed ‘Presented to H.R.H. Princess Beatrice on her marriage by the Town of West Cowes 23rd July 1885 Benzie Fecit’.  Prince Henry of Battenberg and Princess Beatrice, Queen Victoria's youngest child were married on 22 July 1885 on the condition that the couple make their home with her at Osborne House. The Queen made Prince Henry a Knight of the Garter, and granted him the style Royal Highness and Honorary Colonel of the 5th (Isle of Wight, Princess Beatrice's) Volunteer Battalion, the Hampshire Regiment. He was subsequently made Governor of Carisbrooke Castle and Captain-General of the Isle of Wight. The Prince and Princess had four children, but 10 years into their marriage, on 20 January 1896, Prince Henry died of malaria in Africa. Beatrice remained at her mother's side until Queen Victoria died on 22 January 1901 and devoted the next 30 years to editing Queen Victoria's journals as her designated literary executor. She died in 1944 aged 87, outliving all her siblings, all of her siblings' spouses, two of her children, and several nieces and nephews including Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and George V of the United Kingdom.  Simpson Benzie established his jewellery and clockmaking business in 1862 and, succeeded by his son, they supplied the cream of society for more than 130 years. The firm held no fewer than eight Royal Warrants and a Benzie clock hung on a bulkhead on the Royal Yacht Britannia. The Royal Warrants held by the establishment were: King George V., in 1910; King Edward, 1901; Queen Alexandra, 1901; Queen Victoria, 1885; Prince of Wales, 1884; King of Greece, 1886.” View this Mirror on Youtube
A pair of Italian solid olive wood side tables
A pair of Italian solid olive wood side tables, each with a shaped circular top raised on a fluted support and scrolling tripod feet, (possibly Sorrento.) Italian, circa 1870. Height 29 ½ inches   Width 16 ½ inches
A William IV amboyna and rosewood table/jardiniere
A William IV amboyna and rosewood table/jardiniere, in two sections with a fitted circular cover above a sloping bowl enclosing a replaced brass lining, bold gadrooning to the underside, all raised on a single turned, tapering and lobed support, the tripod base with C-scroll feet on the original castors. English, circa 1835.  
A 12 Inch Celestial Table Globe by Harris and Son
A 12 inch celestial table globe by Harris and Son, the horizon ring, with the original papers, set on four turned mahogany legs, the label stating ‘Improved Celestial Globe, the Stars laid down to the Year 1820. The days for the Average of the leap Years for 50 Years to come, by T Harris & Son, Opticians etc and by Henry Gardner, Opticians etc, Belfast, Published Janry 1st 1814.’ English, 1814. Footnote: Thomas Harris (d. 1837) and his son William Harris (1797-1846), were opticians and manufacturers of globes, mathematical instruments, telescopes from Bloomsbury, London. On their “New Celestial Globe,” 12 inches in diameter of 1820, the cartouche reads “Opticians and Globe Makers; To his Majesty and their Royal Highnesses The Dukes of Kent and Sussex.” Henry Gardner, optician, would have added his label as the retailer/distributor in Belfast. View this globe on YouTube
A pair of French rosewood oval marquetry bedside tables with marble tops
A pair of French rosewood oval marquetry bedside tables with marble tops, each of oval form with three small drawers set upon cabriole legs joined by a kidney-shaped shelf, decorated in boxwood and kingwood marquetry with oriental landscapes showing a courtly boat on a lake between two pagodas and further landscapes on the sides, back and shelf. Circa 1900.
A William IV two tier mahogany table attribruted to Gillows
A William IV two tier mahogany table attribruted to Gillows, with two circular shelves, the top one with a dished edge, supported on a reeded and turned baluster column with two flanges, all on three splayed reeded legs with brass caps and castors.  English, circa 1830.  
A William IV two tier mahogany table attribruted to Gillows
A William IV two tier mahogany table attribruted to Gillows, with two circular shelves, the top one with a dished edge, supported on a reeded and turned baluster column, all on three splayed reeded legs with brass caps and castors.  English, circa 1830. Read our Gillows Blog here – The Furniture of Gillows and their design records 
A pair of 12 inch table globes by J & W Newton, dated 1820
A pair of 12 inch table globes by J & W Newton, dated 1820, each with 12 hand coloured gores, graduated meridian rings, set within ebonised stands with three turned legs.  The terrestrial globe stating ‘Newton’s New & Improved Terrestrial Globe embracing every recent Discovery to the present time. Manufactured by J & W Newton, 66 Chancery Lane, London. Published July 1820’ and the celestial globe stating ‘Newton’s New & Improved Celestial Globe whereon the stars are laid down from the most accurate observations of the best astronomers to the beginning of the year 1820.’  English, 1820. View both of these globes on YouTube Terrestrial    Celestial
A pair of 12 inch table globes by G & J Cary, dated 1800 and 1821
A pair of 12 inch table globes by G & J Cary, dated 1800 and 1821, each with hand-painted gores, set in mahogany stands with a turned support raised on three feet centred on the company roses.  English.
An octagonal indigenous specimen wood marquetry table
An octagonal indigenous specimen wood marquetry table, the tilt top inlaid on both sides with triangles and diamonds in an overall star design, the woods include yew, oak and elm, on a carved classical column base with four cabriole legs.  British, circa 1860.
A pair of 12 inch table globes by Josiah Loring, dated 1844 and 1841
A pair of 12 inch table globes by Josiah Loring, dated 1844 and 1841. Each globe is set into a fruitwood stand with four baluster turned legs and stretchers, the terrestrial globe with a label reading ‘Loring’s Terrestrial Globe containing all the late discoveries and geographical Improvements, also the tracks of the most celebrated circumnavigators, compiled from Smith’s New English Globe, with additions and improvements by Annin & South, Boston, Josiah Loring, 136 Washington Street, 1844’ and the celestial globe with a similar label relating to Smith’s New English Globes and dated 1841.  Josiah Loring (1775 - 1840) began selling globes in Boston in 1832.  Many of his early globes were imported from the British globemaker C. Smith & Sons or, like these, were re-engraved copies of Smith & Sons globes.  Nevertheless, Loring advertised that his globes were superior to British globes of the period.  His business was taken over by Gilman Joslin, the maker of the globe opposite in 1839. Gilman Joslin (1804-1886) trained as a wood turner and looking-glass maker.  He went to work for Josiah Loring in 1837 and had taken over the business by 1839.  That year he issued the first globes under his own name, a terrestrial and celestial pair 6 inches in diameter.  By the mid-century he was employing three men and two women and boasted a 3 horsepower steam engine for his production.  Joslin was eventually succeeded by his son, William, and their firm produced globes of various sizes until the end of the 19th century.  Joslin worked in many other fields, including shipbuilding, and he was one of the first Americans to make a daguerreotype.
A rare pair of 9 inch table globes by Cary, each dated 1816
A rare pair of 9 inch table globes by Cary, each dated 1816. These globes are by John and William Cary and show the geographical and political borders drawn up following the Congress of Vienna.  Each one is surmounted by a brass hour circle, within a calibrated full brass meridian, and a horizon band with an engraved paper calendar and zodiac.  Each turned mahogany stand has three legs joined by the original compass rose.  The terrestrial globe shows geographic entities shaded in faded tones of blue, pink, olive, green, some with red or green outlines, and dark green coastlines.  The celestial globe is cream coloured, with constellations shown by curved boundaries rather than as mythological or astrological figures.  Stars are shown to the fifth magnitude.  Both are dated August 1816. The Congress of Vienna was an international diplomatic conference to reconstitute the European political order after the downfall of Napoleon I.  The objective was to provide a long-term peace plan for Europe by settling critical issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. The celebrated Cary family of cartographers and globe makers produced some of the best late Georgian globes.  The firm was started in London in the late 18th century by John Cary (c1754-1835), an engraver and dealer in maps, who often worked in partnership with his brother, William Cary (c 1760-1825), a scientific instrument maker.  John Cary concentrated on geographical excellence rather than on decoration.  In about 1820, the Cary brothers moved their business to 86 St. James’s Street, leaving the premises at 181 Strand to John Cary’s son, George, (c1788-1859) and John Jr. (1791-1852) who traded as G. & J. Cary until about 1850.
A delicate Napoleon III kingwood parquetry side table attributed to Sormani
A delicate Napoleon III kingwood parquetry side table attributed to Sormani, the shaped serpentine top with a single frieze drawer above tapering cabriole legs, decorated with inlaid ebony florets on a herringbone ground and fine quality ormolu mounts.  French, circa 1860. Footnote: Paul Sormani (1817-1877) was Italian born, setting up his first workshops in Paris in 1847, finally settling in Rue Charlot in 1867, offering works of ‘ a quality of execution of the first order’.  Their specialty was copies of furniture in the style of the ‘ancien regime’. They exhibited at the Universelle Expositions of 1855 and 1867, and afterwards in London in 1862 and were awarded medals for their excellence.
An elegant George III mahogany Pembroke sewing table
An elegant George III mahogany Pembroke sewing table, of typical form with two shaped flaps on either side of a central drawer and pleated silk work bag on a slide, the fine turned, tapering legs on the original castors, with kingwood banding, satinwood tablets and turned brass knobs.  English, circa 1800.
A William IV rosewood free-standing end support table attributed to Gillows
A William IV rosewood free-standing end support table attributed to Gillows, the rectangular top with the original leather and an ormolu gallery on three sides, all above a single disguised frieze drawer and supported on twin turned columns joined by carved fleurs-de-lys centred on a roundel, the stretcher also turned, set upon outswept, panelled feet terminating in brass scroll sabots and the original castors.  English, circa 1835.
An early Victorian rosewood writing table by Holland & Sons
An early Victorian rosewood writing table by Holland & Sons, the rectangular gilt tooled leather inset top above two short frieze drawers, on fluted ring-turned baluster twin columnar end supports, terminating in recessed castors, one drawer stamped: 'HOLLAND & SONS' Literature: FOOTNOTES Recorded in 1815 as Taprell and Holland, the firm by 1843 was under the auspices of William Holland, a relative of the Regency architect Henry Holland. Subsequently, Holland and Sons became cabinetmakers and upholsterers to the Queen, their first commission being for Osborne House in 1845. Holland and Sons continued to supply furniture for Osborne until 1869, but gained further commissions for Windsor Castle, Balmoral and Marlborough House. They supplied furniture for many leading institutions, including the Reform and Athenaeum Clubs, the British Museum and Royal Academy, and also participated in many important International Exhibitions, including London in 1862 and Paris in 1867 and 1872.
A mid-Victorian walnut and pietra dura table

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 Victorian inlaid satinwood and kingwood table in the style of Hepplewhite
A Victorian inlaid satinwood and kingwood table in the style of Hepplewhite, the serpentine top above a single disguised frieze drawer raised on slender shaped legs, the top decorated with an oval panel inlaid with a laurel wreath on a satinwood ground within quarter veneers and cross banding, the drawer with a kingwood panel inlaid with a lily frond, raised on slender cabriole legs.  English, circa 1890.  
An Anglo-Indian mahogany table with Nero portoro marble top by White and Co Calcutta
An Anglo-Indian mahogany table with Nero portoro marble top by White and Co Calcutta, the rectangular marble top set on a shaped frieze carved with leafy scrolls the reeded column support emerging from four fleshy acanthus leaves, all on an X-shaped base with scroll feet, stamped ‘White and Co Calcutta’. Indian, circa 1840.  
A pair of French rosewood occasional tables
A pair of French rosewood occasional tables, each of oval form with three small drawers set upon cabriole legs joined by a kidney-shaped shelf, decorated in boxwood and kingwood marquetry with oriental landscapes showing a courtly boat on a lake between two pagodas and further landscapes on the sides, back and shelf. Circa 1900.
A mid-Victorian gilt-wood console table

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

A Victorian walnut marquetry writing table attributed to Edward Holmes Baldock
A Victorian walnut marquetry writing table attributed to Edward Holmes Baldock, the shaped rectangular top with an oval panel inset with tooled green leather, the frieze with two small side drawers, all raised on solid baluster end supports joined by a spiral-turned stretcher, decorated with bone, stained and exotic woods with naturalistic flowers and boxwood stringing. English, circa 1850. Footnote: Edward Holmes Baldock, (1777-1845) was one of the first London antique dealers, in the modern sense of the word. He principally dealt in 18th century French furniture and Chinese Export porcelain, and commissioned furniture to compliment his inventory. This furniture has strong French design influences, but retains subtle English details (the floral marquetry often depicts English wildflowers).  His clients included the Duke of Buccleuch and George IV. His dispersal sale was in 1843 on his retirement.   Ivory License Number: 777XHDQM
A pair of Victorian Hepplewhite style satinwood console tables
A pair of Victorian Hepplewhite style satinwood console tables, each with a shaped top banded in kingwood and mulberry and painted with wheat ears, the giltwood frieze and fluted tapering legs carved with bow-tied swags centred on a musical trophy within bead borders, all on a punched ground. English, circa 1880.  
A pair of Anglo-Indian specimen top occasional tables
A pair of Anglo-Indian specimen top occasional tables, each with an octagonal top inlaid with hexagons of exotic and petrified woods cut across the grain, within an ebony border, set upon a walnut baluster support carved with strapwork, acanthus, scrolls and palmettes, reduced in height. English, circa 1850.
A pair of Cary’s 15-inch table globes
A pair of Cary’s 15-inch table globes, each set into an ebony stand with four turned legs and stretchers, the terrestrial stating "Cary's New Terrestrial Globe exhibiting the tracks and discoveries made by Captain Cook and those of Captain Vancouver on the North West Coast of America; and M de la Perouse on the coast of Tartary, together with every other Improvement collected from Various Navigators to the present time", "London, made and sold by J & W Cary, Strand, March ….with additions and corrections to 1831" .  The celestial ‘Cary’s New Celestial Globe on which are carefully laid down the whole of the Stars and Nebulae contained in the Catalogues of Wollaston, Herschel, Bode, Piazzi, Zach, etc. calculated to the Year 1820. Made & sold by J & W Cary, 381 Strand, London 1818.’ English, c1808.  
A Sheraton period George III mahogany patience table
A Sheraton period George III mahogany patience table, the rectangular top with a drawer front with brass handles on each side, two hinged to support two flaps which open to form a rectangular top, set on slender tapering legs joined by a shaped stretcher, decorated with boxwood stringing, retaining the original handles and castors.  English, circa 1790.  
A William IV Colonial padouk five-foot round table
A William IV Colonial padouk five-foot round table, the solid circular top with a pierced frieze of paired volute scrolls, with blind fretwork and egg-and-dart borders, the baluster support with deeply carved leaves, the four S-scroll legs further carved with vegetal motifs, Indian 1830.  
A George IV Anglo-Chinese amboyna card table
A George IV Anglo-Chinese amboyna card table, the hinged rectangular top with rounded corners opening out to form a square, lined in later green baize, decorated with bone and ebony strung panels, raised on a solid rosewood gadrooned and turned baluster support above three outswept legs with further bone stringing and inlaid roundels.  Chinese, c1820 Ivory License Number: Msaywa4
A George III fiddleback mahogany table jardinière
A George III fiddleback mahogany table jardinière, of sarcophagus form with two turned handles on tapering supports, decorated with shaped panels of plain mahogany within fine boxwood stringing and fiddleback mahogany borders, with brass ball feet and further balls surmounting the handles, liner replaced.  English, circa 1810. https://youtu.be/z5TF9c0QgWw
A Regency rosewood five-foot tilt-top centre table
A Regency rosewood five-foot tilt-top centre table, the circular top decorated with striking book veneers and a moulded edge, raised upon a stepped parcel gilt tripod base with three bold lion’s paw and scroll feet. English, c1815.
A long early George III Irish mahogany dining or wake table of exceptional colour
A long early George III Irish mahogany dining or wake table of exceptional colour, the highly figured veneered oval top with two drop flaps down over eight reeded gate legs, seats 12. Irish, c1760.
An attractive nest of Regency rosewood quartetto tables
An attractive nest of Regency rosewood quartetto tables, each of rectangular form with cock-beading round the edges, raised upon finely turned legs upon crinoline stretchers, English, c1825.   Largest: H 29 ½ in W 22in D 13 in Smallest:  H 28in W 16in D 11 ½ in
A pair of high Regency coromandel and ormolu bookcase console tables
A pair of high Regency coromandel and ormolu bookcase console tables in the style of Thomas Hope, each of rectangular form with two square section pillars in the form of pharaonic terms with bare feet, on a solid plinth, surmounted by two shelves with a central flanged pedestal, decorated with crossbanding and further anthemion mounts. With a paper label ‘Charles Smith, Upholsterer, Grosvenor Street, Grosvenor Square’. English, c1815.  
A fine quality ebony bijouterie table cabinet showing Calvary Church
A fine quality ebony bijouterie table cabinet showing Calvary Church, Stonington, Connecticut, of rectangular form with two cupboard doors enclosing a dummy drawer, which disguises a hidden compartment under the top pietra dura panel, three long graduated drawers and four short drawers, decorated with English and Italian pietra dura panels showing birds and flowers, , bone stringing and handles and panels of burr walnut.  English, circa 1880
A striking George IV amboyna, rosewood and gilt console table attributed to Morel and Seddon
A striking George IV amboyna, rosewood and gilt console table attributed to Morel and Seddon, the rectangular top set above two monopodia with bold scrolling corbels and feet in giltwood joined by a turned and parcel stretcher set into the corbels, decorated with fields of amboyna and rosewood crossbanding and a mirror back.  Inscribed in pen 24495.  English, circa 1820.   Footnote:  George Seddon, 1796-1857, was the grandson of George Seddon of Aldersgate Street (the largest furniture manufacturer of the 18thcentury).  Nicholas Morel was of French extraction and a protégé of the architect Henry Holland and the marchand-mercier Dominique Daguerre.  Under Holland's direction he worked on the decoration of Carlton House, official London residence of the Prince of Wales.  In 1827 Seddon and Morel formed a partnership to undertake the refurbishment of Windsor Castle for King George IV, with an enormous budget at that time of £200,000.  Numerous examples of furniture in this characteristic combination of amboyna and gilt are illustrated by Hugh Roberts in For the King’s Pleasure, The Furnishing and Decoration of George IV's Apartments at Windsor Castle, London 2001.  This commission inevitably encouraged other patrons, from the Marquess of Stafford to Liverpool Town Council and the firm continued successfully until Seddon devoted himself to painting.  He trained in Paris in 1841 and then travelled widely in Egypt and the Holy Land with the Pre-Raphaelite William Holman Hunt. He had a picture accepted by the Royal Academy in 1852.
Fine Walnut and Burr Walnut Orientalist Centre Table, 1920
A fine walnut and burr walnut orientalist centre table, of shaped rectangular form with a mirrored frieze, set upon carved cabriole legs terminating in acanthus feet, decorated with quarter veneered top inlaid in boxwood with scattered flower heads and butterflies centred on a spray of roses, each corner with a floral basket, framed within a raised border of boldly carved acanthus leaves and scrolls which continues around the frieze and onto the legs, the frieze further embellished with gilt brass Orientalist strapwork and classical panels of scrolls and cherubs on an ebonised ground to the centre and corners, all against the mirrored ground. Possibly American, circa 1920.
A late Regency rosewood free standing library table by James Winter
A late Regency rosewood free standing library table, by James Winter, the rectangular leather-inset top with a gadrooned edge and frieze enclosing two drawers on one side and two corresponding dummy drawers on the other, the solid end supports with beaded edging, scroll and acanthus leaf terminals and central carved rosettes, all on paw feet with the original disguised castors, stamped James Winter, 101 Wardour St.  English, circa 1820.  
Early 19th Century Brass-Mounted Pollard Oak Writing Table
An unusual early 19th century brass-mounted pollard oak writing table, attributed to Gillows, the hinged rectangular leather-inset writing top with an adjustable writing slope on a ratchet flanked by semi-circular ends, the frieze with one long central drawer and two short shaped drawers in the ends, the reverse with a dummy drawer, on solid oak end supports raised upon outswept feet terminating in the original finely cast brass castors. English, c1815.
Victorian kingwood and boxwood ladies writing table
A fine Victorian kingwood and box wood strung mounted ladies writing table in the French taste, the central draw with an oval panel of semi precious stones and the superstructure with 5 draws. The whole raised upon cabriole legs. It was very fashionable during the Victorian period to copy the French style And considered to be very hip. The quality of these English made pieces was usually very superior and it was considered that the timbers used in the carcass should be as good as the exterior. This is very evident in this lovely timeless piece.
A Victorian birch or satinwood writing table, attributed to Holland and Sons
A Victorian birch or satinwood writing table, attributed to Holland and Sons, the leather-inset top with moulded edges above a disguised single frieze drawer, the end supports comprising twin turned columns set on splayed square section legs joined by a turned stretcher, with the original ceramic castors, decorated with kingwood bandings and solid tulip wood mouldings. English, c 1880
Master Thomas Atkinson’s captured French Log Tables, 1798
[CALLET, Jean-François] Table des Logarithmes des Sinus et Tangentes, De seconde en seconde Pour les cinq premiers degrés, De dix en dix seconds pour tous les degrés du quart de cercle. Circa 1795. Octavo, half-calf, re- backed. Inscribed on the title page: ‘Thos. Atkinson Master of His Majesty’s Ship Theseus August the 12th 1798’ and, later, in a different hand: ‘given to J Hindmarsh on the HMS Victory 1803’ French, 1798 This volume of logarithms was seized as booty by Thomas Atkinson, sailing master of Theseus, 74 guns, following the Battle of the Nile. Designed to assist in navigation and recently published by French mathematician Jean-François Callet, the volume was a valuable item of enemy intelligence for a Royal Navy sailing master. Atkinson subsequently gifted the book to John Hindmarsh, probably on Hindmarsh’s promotion to lieutenant on board Victory on 1 August 1803. Thomas Atkinson (1767-1836) entered the Navy in 1793 as an able seaman, suggesting previous experience at sea. Qualified as master in 1795, he joined Emerald, 36 guns, seeing action at the Battle of Cape St Vincent on 14 February 1797, following which he transferred to Theseus. At the Battle of the Nile, Theseus took the surrender of the French ship Artimise and, in the days afterwards, assisted in taking under tow the prizes Heureux and Mercure during which this book was likely secured by Atkinson on 12 August 1798 (the same day Cooper Willyams was also sketching in the bay, see his watercolour on page 30). Theseus sailed from Aboukir Bay in convoy three days later. Subsequently Atkinson witnessed the siege of Acre, during which he was wounded - and his captain, Ralph Miller killed - in an accidental explosion of powder in the ship. Known and admired by Admiral Lord Nelson, who described him as ‘one of the best Masters I have seen in the Royal Navy’, in 1801 Atkinson transferred to Nelson’s flagship San Josef (see page 16). Two years later he followed the Admiral into Victory steering the ship into immortality at the Battle of Trafalgar. John Hindmarsh (1785-1860) entered the Navy as a boy in 1793, seeing action at the battles of the ‘Glorious First of June’ and the Nile where he distinguished himself as a thirteen-year-old midshipman fighting in Bellerophon, 74 guns, in which his father was also a gunner. Nelson referred to Hindmarsh’s ‘conduct this day five years’ when he promoted him in person on board Victory on the anniversary of the battle. Hindmarsh’s action-packed career continued long after Trafalgar - which he experienced in Phoebe - so much so that he was one of only two recipients of the Naval General Service medal entitled to seven clasps. In 1836, Hindmarsh was appointed first governor of South Australia then, in 1840, lieutenant- governor of Heligoland.
A Regency rectangular rosewood tilt-top table attributed to Gillows
A Regency rectangular rosewood tilt-top table attributed to Gillows, the rectangular top with book matched veneers set upon a shaped and reeded support with four splayed hip legs, English, c1815. Read our Gillows Blog here – The Furniture of Gillows and their design records 
Hexagonal walnut display table attributed to Holland and Sons
A rare hexagonal walnut display table attributed to Holland and Sons, of the finest quality with the original mirror-inset top and mirror-backed glass shelves, each corner with a turned parcel gilt solid walnut stop-fluted column, decorated with kingwood and boxwood inlays and cross banding, with the original ormolu mounts throughout. English, c1860 Footnote: Holland and Sons of London were first recorded in 1815 as Taprell and Holland. Under the management of William Holland, a relative of the famous Regency architect Henry Holland, they became cabinetmakers and upholsterers to Queen Victoria; their first commission being Osborne House in 1845. Granted the Royal Warrant in 1846, the company went on to supply Windsor Castle, Balmoral and also the new Houses of Parliament. In 1851 they exhibited at the Great Exhibition and were represented at all the major exhibitions thereafter.
Burr walnut and ormolu mounted centre table
An exhibition quality burr walnut and ormolu mounted centre table with superb quartered veneered top. Attributed to Holland and Sons or Gillows.
Early Victorian centre table
An early Victorian amboyna, burr walnut, ebonised, hardwood and purplewood centre table possibly by Holland & Sons inlaid with fruitwood stringing, the circular tilt-top with harewood banding, on a purplewood banded base comprising three ring turned and fluted columnar supports, terminating in outswept square section legs with scroll feet and recessed brass castors, with a tripartite cross stretcher, the underside of the top stamped: '6933'. Signed/Inscribed: Stamped 6933
Napoleon III mahogany display table
An attractive and unusual Napoleon III mahogany display table, the rectangular top surmounted by a shaped glazed panel which opens to allow access to the mirrored and silk lined interior, with three drawers disguised in the frieze, supported on slender caboodle legs, decorated throughout with ormolu mounts, with the original key. Provenance: Footnote : the high quality of the metal work and the fact that the original key follows a design favoured by Linke would make it very probably that piece is from the workshops of Francois Linke.
A pair of kingwood card tables by G. Durand
A pair of kingwood card tables by G. Durand, each with a shaped folding top above a serpentine frieze and elegant cabriole legs with gilt bronze foliate mounts, edges and sabots, decorated overall with superb marquetry panels of cross-grained foliate scrolls against a counter-cube trellis ground. Stamped ‘G. DURAND’ and bearing the paper label ‘E. MOUGIN, 6 Rue Castex, Doreur sur Cuir – Gainier – Garnisseur pour l’Ameublement, Paris’ who would have supplied the ormolu mounts. Circa 1890. Footnote: A similar side cabinet by G. Durand appears in Denise Ledoux-Lebard’s ‘Le Mobilier Français du XIXe Siècle.’ In rosewood and purple-heart, it displays the same distinctive use of dark wood to create a silhouette effect in the floral sprays and the same cube-trellis in which the play of light is accentuated by the juxtaposition of cross-grained and counter-inlaid woods. https://youtu.be/u3BSrmC7gaY
A Late Victorian Teak Steering Wheel Coffee Table
A late Victorian teak steering wheel, raised on a later brass cylindrical base and inset with a glass top to form a coffee table. English, c1900.
A Victorian library table by Gillows
A Victorian ormolu-mounted, parcel giltwood, ebonised and olivewood library table. The bow-ended top with ebonised line inlay above two mahogany-lined drawers, one stamped GILLOWS & Co 12235, on carved, fluted and incised end-supports mounted with ormolu paterae on both sides. on castors. The work of the famous family firm of cabinet makers Gillow can be found in all the great house of Britain. There name is synonymous with the highest quality of materials used and workmanship. The firm was started br Robert Gillow in the second half of the 18 th century in Lancaster and soon expanded to London catering for all the great and the good. For an in depth study of there history and work see. Susan Stewart , Gillows. Signed/Inscribed: GILLOWS & Co 12235
Dining table made from a 19th Century ship’s steering wheel
A dining table made from a 19th Century ship's steering wheel, upon an antique binnacle with bronze feet, English, c1850. With a modern glass top.
William IV rosewood specimen parquetry centre table
An unusual William IV rosewood specimen parquetry centre table
Georgian/Regency twin pillar antique dining table
A late George III mahogany twin pillar dining table retaining its original leaf. Each end set upon a turned column and 4 reeeded slayed legs terminating in original brass castors.
Chinese nest of tables
A good quality nest of four late 19th century Chinese hardwood tables, possible Hongmu.
Early Victorian amboyna centre table by Taprell and Holland & Sons
A fine early Victorian amboyna centre table by Taprell and Holland & Sons, the circular top set on a gadrooned baluster support terminating in petals with an ebony collar, all on a circular base with three bun feet, decorated with ebony inlays comprising a chain design within slender borders, bead and reel edging, further gadrooning and rosettes. English, c1840. Footnote: Stephen Taprell set up as a cabinet maker, upholsterer, chair and sofa manufacturer in 1803. In 1835 his partner, William Holland, a relative of the famous Regency architect Henry Holland, took over and traded until 1843 as Taprell, Holland and Sons. After 1846, as Holland and Sons, the company became one of the greatest furnishing firms of the Victorian period. Queen Victoria commissioned them to supply Osborne House, Windsor Castle, Balmoral and also the new Houses of Parliament. Granted the Royal Warrant in 1846, they exhibited at the Great Exhibition of 1851 and were represented at all the major exhibitions thereafter.
A Neoclassical pietra dura, micro mosaic and walnut centre table
A Neoclassical pietra dura, micro mosaic and walnut centre table, the circular black marble top with a large central micro mosaic roundel depicting St Peter’s Square, Rome, surrounded by eight smaller oval and circular vignettes of roman ruins, within a band of hexagonal beads strung on lapis lazuli links and an outer specimen border of semi-precious agates and marbles including Blue John, all with malachite borders, set on a parcel gilt base with a frieze of stars, acanthus buds and rosettes raised four male terms of Hercules wearing the skin of the Nemean Lion, joined with a cruciform stretcher and terminating in cloven hoof feet.  Italian, 1870.  
An early Victorian walnut marquetry centre table
An early Victorian walnut marquetry centre table, attributed to Edward Holmes Baldock, of circular form with a superb quarter veneered burr walnut top inlaid with a garland of naturalistic British flowers in stained boxwoods, all on a flared hexagonal support on three bold scroll feet with further floral sprays. English, c1840. H 29 x 51 diameter
Walnut Antique Card Tables
A pair of Napoleon III concertina action walnut and parcel gilt card tables. Each with a hinged shaped top revealing a baize interior.
George III oval mahogany and king wood banded Pembroke table
George III oval mahogany and king wood banded Pembroke table of lovely colour. The centre panel is banded in kingwood as are the two flaps. The whole raised on square tapering legs. H 28 3/4 W open. 37 1/2 Closed 18 1/2
A stylish polished coffee table
A stylish polished amboyna coffee table, of irregular shape cut across the grain to show a central burr surrounded by a wide outer border of paler wood, set on a modern base.
A stylish polished Amboyna Coffee Table
A stylish polished coffee table top cut across the grain to show a central burr surrounded by a narrow outer border of paler wood, set on a modern base
Pair of William lV Satinwood bedside or deception tables
These table are without a shadow of doubt made by Gillows of Lancaster around the 1840s . Each cupboard has two flaps and two dummy draw fronts. There is a mechanism on each cupboard to the side that allows a flap to drop and reveal the interior. The whole raised on carved central column with four carved shaped legs. The cabinet-making firm of Gillows was founded in 1728 by Robert Gillow (1704-1772), who was a cabinet maker, architect, house-carpenter, funeral director and West Indies merchant. He laid the foundations for a successful firm which lasted over two hundred and fifty years, both in London and the provinces and rapidly rose to prominence among English furniture makers. Fortunately their output is well documented, largely thanks to pieces stamped ‘GILLOWS LANCASTER’, a practice which began about 1790, and the survival of a high proportion of the Gillows Archives, including estimate sketch books, letter books, and other business ledgers from circa 1730-1930. The Gillow brothers and nephews also expanded their overseas trade during the second half of the eighteenth century. Between them they ran both the London and Lancaster shops, providing a comprehensive service including supplying and fitting carpets, curtains and wallpapers in addition to making all sorts of furniture. The name Gillows has become synonymous with quality workmanship and stylish designs. Items from this family have retained their cachet for more nearly 300 years. Read our Gillows Blog here – The Furniture of Gillows and their design records 
Antique French side table
An unusual French side table with the original painted decoration of florals swags on a dark ground. The top with a tapestry panel.
A Hungarian-ash centre table attributed to Holland and Sons
This exhibition quality table is attributed to Holland and Sons. The octagonal top is supported by four turned knopped legs, all joint by a solid shaped stretcher centred on an urn. The whole piece is decorated with the most exquisite marquetry in ebony, satinwood, boxwood and other contrasting woods and fine ormolu mounts. The top is vereered in Hungarian-ash within narrow bellflowers and guilloche borders. The legs and stretcher are embellished with further formal decorative moifs. English, c1860. H29”, diam 45” Holland & Sons of London were first recorded in 1815 as Taprell and Holland. Under the management of William Holland, a relative of the famous Regency architect Henry Holland, they became cabinetmakers and upholsterer to Queen Victoria; their first commission being Osborne House in 1845. Granted the Royal Warrant in 1846, the company went on to supply Windsor Castle, Balmoral and also the new Houses of Parliament. In 1851 they exhibited at the Great Exhibition and were represented at all the major exhibitions thereafter.
A Regency well-figured mahogany writing table
A Regency well-figured mahogany writing table, of rectangular form with a green leather-inset top, one long and two short drawers in each frieze, set upon reeded tapering legs with the original castors, c1810.
18th century continental table chest of drawers
Unusual 18th century walnut shaped table chest of drawers.
A Regency mahogany and rosewood occasional table with an inset specimen marble
A Regency mahogany and rosewood occasional table with an inset specimen marble top. The marble top with sixteen labelled specimens of different marbles including: four types of Broccatello, two types of Devonshire, Malplaquet, two types of Yellow Antique, two types of Irish Green, Derbyshire, two types of Africano and Fossil, above a turned, reeded and gadrooned stem on a tri-form plinth base on brass cappings and castors.
A fine mid Victorian burr walnut writing table
A fine mid Victorian burr walnut writing table, the top finely inlaid with rushes and scrolling tendrils in the kingwood banding, with ormolu mounts. Attributed to Thomas Holmes Baldock
An outstanding Louis XV-style mahogany bureau plat after a model by Jacques B. Dubois, from the estate of Phyllis McGuire

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 Pair of Sand Pictures by Benjamin Zobel, framed by Benjamin Taylor

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

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

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).

A Victorian kidney shaped desk in richly figured burr walnut, attributed to Gillows
A Victorian kidney shaped desk in richly figured burr walnut, attributed to Gillows, the shaped leather-inset top above a central disguised frieze drawer and four drawers with brass handles in each pedestal, the locking mechanism hidden by means of a hinged pilaster, decorated with book matched veneers on the central back panel.  English, circa 1860. The kidney-shaped desk first appeared as a writing or dressing-table during the Louis XV period (1715-1774) in France before being introduced into England in the late 18th century.  It evolved to incorporate drawers and often small shelves in the Sheraton period, see ‘The Cabinet Directory’ of 1803.  The finest Victorian examples were made by Gillows following the design for ‘An Oak Pedestal and Kidney Table supplied to Ferguson & Co.’ in the ‘Gillows Estimate Sketch Books’ (1840).  See Susan E Stuart ‘Gillows of Lancaster and London, 1730-1840,’ (ibid), Vol. I, p.339, pl. 393 for a similar walnut desk also stamped and with Bramah locks, which once belonged to the cricket writer Brian Johnston (1912-1994). Read our Gillows Blog here – The Furniture of Gillows and their design records 
A pair of sand pictures by Benjamin Zobel after paintings by de Loutherbourg
These extraordinary ‘paintings’ were created using coloured grains of sand rather than paints. Each is after an original painting by Philip James de Loutherbourg. The first scene shows the Battle of Hastings with a central mounted figure, presumably William the Conqueror, with a red plume in his helmet, raising his sword against a fighter on foot. A printed version of this image, shown above, was made by William Bromley. (See the British Museum registration number 1858,1009.115 for a fine impression.) The second scene, composed with a similar central mounted knight with a raised axe (sword in the original) represents Richard the Lionheart in combat against Saladin at the Battle of Acre. In this case the print was made by Anker Smith (ibid. number 1858,1009.117). In the original giltwood frames. English, circa 1800.  Benjamin Zobel (1762-1830) began his career in Bavaria (Swabia) in the family confectionery business. This apprenticeship became crucial to his career as a sand painter. When he turned eighteen he moved to Amsterdam where he studied miniature painting before moving to London, where he was employed by Ecchard Brothers of Chelsea for whom he designed patterned wallpapers, linens and silks. Three years later he 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 tablecloth at dinner was elaborately decorated with designs of coloured sands, marble dust, powdered glass or breadcrumbs. 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; the sugar, or sand, was shaken through a cut and pleated playing card. Having converted the ephemeral process of sugar pattern to a permanent form of picture making, and believing that there was a future in it, he continued to make his sand pictures in his spare time. The ancient Japanese skill of bonkei or `tray picture' was known, but Zobel has the reputation of being the inventor of the sand painting technique, and he was certainly the first to introduce the art to England. The subject matter of Zobel's sand-pictures ranges from battles and biblical scenes to landscapes and flowers, although animals, particularly horses, sheep and pigs held a particular fascination for him. His compositions were often taken from the paintings of his dear friend, George Morland. Zobel constructed his images with painstaking precision and was careful to describe every detail and texture, from the soft fur of a tiger to the rough, dusty ground of the battlefield. His works are extremely rare, not least due to the fragile nature of their construction.  Philip de Loutherbourg was born into a family of painters in France and won great acclaim in England as a history painter in particular. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy in 1801 and in 1807 was titled “Historical Painter to the Duke of Gloucester”.
Victorian kidney-shaped desk in richly figured burr walnut by Gillows
A fine quality Victorian kidney-shaped desk in richly figured burr walnut by Gillows, the leather-inset top, above three drawers in the frieze and four graduated drawers in each pedestal, each with original gilt brass handles, the sides lock by means of a winged pilaster with a sliding panel at the capital which marks the , the back with adjustable shelves for small books, decorated with kingwood banding, stamped Gillows inside the top drawer, the locks stamped BRAMAH 124 PICCADILLY’. English, circa:1850 The kidney-shaped desk first appeared as a writing or dressing-table during the Louis XV period (1715-74) in France before being introduced into England in the late 18th century. It evolved to incorporate drawers and often small shelves in the Sheraton period, see ‘The Cabinet Directory’ of 1803. The finest Victorian examples were made by Gillows of Lancaster and London following the design for ‘An Oak Pedestal and Kidney Table supplied to Ferguson & Co.’ in the ‘Gillows Estimate Sketch Books’, (1840) no. 5293, Westminster City Archive. Read our Gillows Blog here – The Furniture of Gillows and their design records 
A William IV rosewood breakfront side cabinet
A William IV rosewood breakfront side cabinet, with a later dark grey marble top above four doors each enclosing a shelf and re-lined in pleated yellow silk, embellished with solid rosewood corbels and paired C-scrolls. English, c1830. Stamped Wilkinson and son. 8 old Bond Street. 10168 Founded in c.1808 by William Wilkinson in Ludgate Hill, the centre of much of the luxury goods trade in London at this time, the firm took over the premises of the firm of Kay and Say who had been major cabinetmakers until losing in 1807. An initial interest of the firm was patent furniture, particularly tables, and the firm promoted their designs in this area heavily, introducing a patent bedstead in 1812 and advertising a variety of pieces suitable for campaign use. The firm was of large size as demonstrated by surviving insurance documentation and was clearly used to working in conjunction with leading architects. John Rennie commissioned the firm to make a table which he gave to the Earl of Lonsdale in 1829 for example and they produced dining and drawing room furniture, designed by Philip Hardwick, for Goldsmiths Hall in 1833. Throughout the 1840s they were involved in major commissions for institutions in the City of London and in 1851 they exhibited at the Great Exhibition, showing a suite of walnut bedroom furniture. In 1855 the firm moved to No. 8 Bond Street under the control of Charles Wilkinson and he continued to run the firm until 1871 when he passed it to his eldest son Frederick. By this stage they had additional premises in Munster Square. From the mid 1880s onwards, the firm was associated with A. H. Mackmurdo, executing his designs for the Century Guild. A complete room setting created by this partnership was exhibited at the International Inventions Exhibition in London in 1885. Through the Guild, Wilkinsons were able to attract an artistic and intellectual clientele and the firm's last major exhibition was at the Arts and Crafts Exhibition in 1890. In 1891 it merged with the Hindleys to form Hindley and Wilkinson which had major clients including the Royal family at Windsor Castle but which closed in 1918.
A patented mechanical campaign invalid chair by Chapman
This mahogany wheel chair has a padded back, arms and seat, reupholstered in deep buttoned blue leather.  The brass-bound wheels have a secondary outer wheel, and a pair of smaller brass wheels which enable the chair to be reclined almost to the horizontal.  The leg rest has a hinged foot plate and can be raised on rachet arms.  One wheel is stamped ‘T Chapman, Manufacturer, 22 Edwards St, Portman Sq & 8 Denmark St, Soho’.  English, circa 1850.  Literature: Nicholas A. Brawer, British Campaign Furniture - Elegance under Canvas, 1740-1914, New York, 2001, p.105, pl. 103 shows a very similar invalid chair by J Alderman and there is further information on pages 159-160. Thomas Chapman established his furniture making business in New Bond St but moved to Denmark St., Soho in 1838.  Within 10 years he had opened his second premises in Portman Square.  An advert in the London and Liverpool Advertiser in 1847 is headed ‘Comfort for the Afflicted’ and ‘solicits an inspection of improved Bath, Brighton and invalid chairs, sofas, spinal carriages, etc.’  There is also ‘a second-hand Hydrostatic bed to be sold very reasonably’.  He catered for two very different sorts of clientele, the gentry and nobility on the one hand and ‘hospitals and all public institutions’ on the other.  Decades of war, and the continuing presence of armies in India and Africa, inevitably created numerous casualties with varying degrees of injury.  The sheer range of specialist furniture available from Chapman's workshop is made clear by another advert offering ‘shifting dining tables for the couch, self-acting invalid chairs, spinal carriages and couches, spring mattresses, new Archimedean and Merlin chairs, and inclined planes’.  He employed John Alderman (see Literature above) who became a partner in the renamed, Chapman & Alderman, in 1855. 
Pair of George III 3 inch pocket globes by J & W Cary, one dated 1791
The terrestrial globe is applied with 12 engraved and hand-coloured gores and signed in a circular cartouche ‘Cary's Pocket Globe, Agreeable to the Latest Discoveries. Pubd. by J. & W. Cary, Strand, April 1791’.  It is housed in a hinged shagreen case closed by a brass hook and lined with a hand-coloured engraved map of the ‘world as known in CÆSAR's Time agreeable to D’Anville' and 'A Table of Latitudes & Longitudes of Places not given on this globe’.  The celestial globe also has 12 hand-painted gores and is signed in a rectangular panel ‘New Celestial Globe by J. & W. Cary Strand’.  Its hinged shagreen case (cracked) is fitted with two hooks and eyes and has a lacquered orange interior. Diameter of globes: 3in (78 mm) Literature: E. Dekker, Globes at Greenwich, Oxford and Greenwich, 1999, GLB0001 describes a similar globe thus "Cook's three voyages are extensively documented. The track of Constantine Phipp's voyage to the north (with young Horatio Nelson on board, though of course not mentioned) is labelled: Phipps 1773". The celebrated Cary family of cartographers and globe makers produced some of the greatest late Georgian globes.  The firm was started in London in the late 18th century by John Cary (c1754-1835), an engraver and dealer in maps who often worked in partnership with his brother, William Cary (c1760-1825), a scientific instrument maker.  John Cary concentrated on geographical excellence rather than on decoration.  In about 1820 the Cary brothers moved their business to 86 St. James’s Street, leaving the premises at 181 Strand to John Cary’s son, George (c1788-1859) and John Jr. (1791-1852) who traded as G. & J. Cary until about 1850.  
The Duke of Wellington after the Lawrence Gahagan commission for Stratfield Saye, 1811
This impressive bronze table bust of the Duke of Wellington is in the form of a classical tribute.  He is portrayed wearing Roman leather armour, the breastplate with a central lion’s mask radiating lightning bolts.  This is set on a turned socle and square plinth which in turn is raised on a curved simulated marble pedestal, with two recumbent lions above superb quality borders of classical motifs and flowerhead arabesques.  The reverse states ‘Wellington L. Gahagan Fecit & Pub’d June 12. 1811’. Height: 22in (56 cm) Width: 25in (63 cm) Depth: 11in (28cm) Provenance:  Major Hon Denis Gomer Berry and Lady Pamela Wellesley Berry  Richard Gomer Berry, 3rd Viscount Kemsley Lawrence Gahagan (1735-1820) was born in Dublin to a family of talented stone masons and sculptors.  He was based in London from around 1757 and exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy between 1798 and 1817.  He was involved in a major project to help update the interiors of Castle Howard from 1801 to 1811 but he is most famous for his portrait busts.  In addition to the Wellington busts, Gahagan sculpted such notables as Nelson, William Pitt, George III, George IV, Admiral Blucher and Lord Byron.  His artistic talent continued through the family line as at least five of his children pursued careers as sculptors.  The Duke of Wellington was one of the most popular subjects for portraits of all kinds during the late 18th and 19th centuries and there are numerous paintings, bronzes and marbles of him in existence.  However only a few of the present composition are known to exist.  Lawrence Gahagan executed the original of this bust for the Duke of Wellington's country seat at Stratfield Saye in Hampshire in 1811.  Ackermann's Repository of Arts Vol 6 (1811) illustrates “a portrait of Lord Wellington from a bust for which he sat to Mr Gahagan”.
A demonstration or museum model of a civil defence traversing cannon
A demonstration or museum model of a civil defence traversing cannon. This bronze scale model of a defence cannon rests on a solid ebony carriage with working blocks and tackle to run the barrel out.  It is set on a Derbyshire black marble base inset with a spoked pivot pin in the centre of a circular rail and a second curved rail for the two pairs of trucks to follow, thus allowing the gun to swivel or ‘traverse’ from side to side.  It is mounted on its original walnut table with quadrant spandrels supported on four sturdy turned and reeded legs.  There is a plaque reading ‘Model Carriage on Traversing Platform for Heavy Ordnance, Col. Tylden, R.l. Art.ly.’  English, circa 1847. The gun represents a bronze smooth bore probably of the Napoleonic Wars period and afterwards up to around 1860.  The carriage represents the type used for coast defence of the same period.  Colonel John Tylden (commissioned 1819 - died 1866) would have witnessed the move from smooth bore to rifled artillery.  It seems very likely that this model is related to a report by Colonel John Tylden (commissioned 1819 - died 1866) in 1847 about Archcliffe Fort in Dover ‘that the fort was armed with 6 x 32pdr guns mounted on traversing platforms, the masonry walls were in good order having the appearance of being recently restored.  To aid the general artillery practice at the fort a 32pdr gun was mounted to fire over the rampart.  3 years later a local builder built an oak target to be used by the 12th Battalion Royal Artillery who were stationed at the Heights, it was moored a mile from shore and the local paper commented “that one shot passed through the mark.”  Various Royal Artillery Battalions used the forts battery for practice, many of which were reported in the local papers, one such report read “unusually excellent” in 1852 when the 6th Battalion fired 240 rounds at the target, this was anchored 1000 feet away in the bay, the target was hit a total of 6 times.’ 
“Jeunes Filles et Fleurs” – A Henri Matisse ink drawing of two women and a vase of flowers
A black ink sketch on paper drawn in outline with two girls sitting at a table with a vase of flowers and an open menu bearing the title ‘Thé’ (tea).  Signed H Matisse and dated Mai 1947.  The reverse with a paper label reading ‘Schoneman Galleries, Inc. 63 East 57th Street, New York 22, NY., #9196 H. Matisse “Jeune Filles et Fleurs” ink drwg. (old #6806) 14 ½  x 21 ½ in.’ Paper 14 ¼ in by 21 ½ in. Framed: 25 ¾ by 32 ¾ in Henri Matisse (1869-1954) is commonly hailed, along with Pablo Picasso, as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.  He was instrumental in the development of Fauvism, Modernism and Post Impressionism.  This work, however, was produced towards the end of his life but in the midst of what he termed his “second life”.  He had been diagnosed with cancer in 1941 and the treatment left him wheelchair bound and with various other medical issues but lead to a period of intense creativity.  By 1950 as painting became more difficult he invented a new medium - his famous cut outs.  Footnote:  This ink sketch is a genuine, original Post-impressionist work of art by the great Henri Matisse.  It has impeccable provenance and is accompanied by letters confirming that it is no. M119 in the Matisse archive and was certified as genuine by the daughter of the artist in 1966.  It is not a page from a sketch pad but rather a preparation for a series of fully realised paintings of a similar size, which date from May and June of the same year and are evidently based on this simple outline. Further information on “Jeunes Filles et Fleurs” can be found on our blog.
A pair of double plate giltwood pier glasses, one George 1 and the other made to match by George Paton carver and gilder to Queen Victoria

A pair of double plate giltwood pier glasses, one George 1 and the other made to match by George Paton carver and gilder to Queen Victoria,  each with the original, probably Queen Anne, shaped and bevelled glasses, the upper plate arched and cut with a central Brunswick star above a border of scrolls along the lower edge, all within a gadrooned frame carved in high and shallow relief with pendant bellflowers and scrolling foliage issuing from flowerheads, the swan-neck pediment centred on a cartouche. One Georgian circa 1730 and the other circa 1840. The older one with a paper label stating  ‘Hugh Paton, Printseller and Picture Frame Maker…Her Majesty’s carver and gilder’.  English.

Footnote:  The George I mirror, made c.1730, is an intriguing design that is based on the popular tabernacle shape that was a favourite of the Palladian designers in England such as William Kent and John Vardy. However, the way the slip inside the mirror is shaped indicates the Queen Anne period. This could be particularly significant as both plates in this mirror are original and may well have been re-used Queen Anne period plates.  It was very common in even the grandest of homes to update mirrors by changing the style of the frame to suit the latest fashion whilst retaining and re-using the valuable mirror glass itself.  This seems all the more likely with the present mirror due to the wonderful engraved Brunswick star and other designs on the top plate-again this form of decoration tends to be associated with mirrors from the William and Mary and Queen Anne periods and is almost always a sign of the highest quality as well.

Although it has not been possible to find any provenance for this particular pair of mirrors, we are able to make several educated guesses due to the label on the back of one of them. The label is that of Hugh Paton, a very important and well-known mid-19th century tradesman based in Edinburgh (see below for more details about his business). Paton advertised widely in the Scottish press and from 1842 onwards he began to use the phrase “Carver and gilder to the Queen”, later amended to “Carver and gilder to the Queen and HRH The Duchess of Kent”. Although the Paton business continued under the control of his son, Hugh Paton himself had died by 1867. Therefore, our mirrors must have passed through his hands before that point.

It was common practice for restorers to add their label to the back of pieces that they had worked on in some way and it is highly likely that Paton was asked to re-gild the George I mirror and then make a copy to match at the same time. The quality of the copy is quite remarkable and it is virtually impossible to tell the pair apart when viewed on the wall. Given Paton's reputation and the location of his business, it is likely that the George I mirror belonged to a Scottish family of some prominence who then sought out the very best local gilder to work on their piece and make them a copy.

Hugh Paton and his Business

Hugh Paton's business is recorded from 1827-1867, becoming Hugh Paton and Sons after his death in 1868 and flourishing until c.1892. During that time the firm occupied many different premises in Edinburgh including in Princes Street and Adam Square. Unfortunately, the relevant part of the label on our mirrors is damaged so we cannot say with certainty where the firm was based at the time that the mirrors were handled but, as stated above, the presence of the royal crest proves that the date must have been post-1842 and pre-1867 when the name of the firm was changed. As such, the firm would have either been based in Adam Square or at 10 Princes Street.

Although it was common for tradesmen and women of this period to have had multi-faceted businesses, Paton operated in a truly astonishing number of markets. A brief biography of the man is maintained on the Science Museum website as he won the contract in 1851 to print the timetables for all of the railway services leaving from Edinburgh and Glasgow. An advert in the Glasgow Sentinel on the 8th of March 1851 mentioned Paton opening new premises in Glasgow specifically to print these timetables and mention was made of the fact that he had received permission to run adverts in the timetable booklets. This is just one example of Paton's enterprising nature. The same advert described his business as “Printer and publisher, picture frame-maker and print-publisher, carver and gilder to the Queen and her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent”. Later in the same advert, Paton mentioned that he was taking orders for “window-cornices, room-mouldings, looking-glass frames and picture frames of every description which will be made to order”. He also offered a picture restoration and cleaning service and had a selection of bronzes, paintings, etchings, engravings, pier tables and items of papier mâché for sale according to other adverts of the period. In fact, Paton may well have been an important paintings dealer in the area at the time-an advert in the Edinburgh Evening Post and Scottish Standard printed on the 14th of April 1849 mentioned some of his latest purchases, made at important auction sales in England. These included “the Duke of Buckingham's collection of miniatures, antiquities and the remainder of the paintings, from which he selected and purchased varied and numerous specimens by the Old Masters”. Artists represented in his stock at this point apparently included Albano, Ruysdael, Heemskirk, Sir Peter Lely, Sir James Thornhill and Murillo. Certainly, Paton's work as a print publisher is very significant indeed and much has been written in specialist literature about his work in this field.

Hugh Paton and Son were awarded another royal warrant by the Lord Steward in 1886 as carvers and gilders, suggesting a long period of service to the crown. Research is ongoing in to the scope of any known commissions conducted for the royal family and hopefully more details about this fascinating craftsman and his extraordinary business will come to light. These mirrors are as interesting from a social history perspective as they are important as examples of fine mirrors of unusual transitional design.

  A pair of double plate giltwood pier glasses, one George 1 and the other made to match by George Paton carver and gilder to Queen Victoria
Major R Sloane-Stanley by George Hillyard Swinstead, 1916

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.

Thomas Whitcombe: ‘Flora’
Thomas Whitcombe: ‘Flora’, this oil on canvas shows the action, within a gilt frame with a panel reading ‘British Frigate “Flora”, 36  guns commanded by Captain W. P. Williams, captured the “Nymphe”, 10 Augt 1780. Captured the Castor, 30 May 1781.  Lost the Castor but escaped 19th June 1781. Thos Whitcombe, 1787’.  Signed and dated.  English, 1787. Footnote:  HMS Flora’s most famous victory was over the French frigate ‘Nymphe’.  She was one of the first eighteen-pounder frigates in the British Navy, with 26 newly installed 18-pounder cannon, in addition to the 8 carronades on her poop deck.  On the 10th she came upon the French ship ‘La Nymphe’’ and battle commenced.  After an hour Flora had the upper hand, when the French captain was injured, but then Nymphe’s fortunes changed by disabling her adversary’s wheel and tiller rope.  Seeing their advantage, the French attempted to board Flora, but were rebuffed by fierce resistance in which the second in command was killed, the third was lost between the hulls and most of the remaining officers were injured.  When a box of cartridges exploded aboard the Frenchman, causing further chaos, Captain Williams seized his chance to turn the tables and sent his own boarders across to the Nymphe.  In no time the enemy colours came down as the ship surrendered.
A William IV mahogany teapoy
The sarcophagus-shaped top section has a hinged lid and is richly carved throughout in high relief.  The everted sides have fleshy palmettes and paired acanthus leaves, while the top has four pairs of leaves which are joined by a carved rib in the centre and scroll outwards to up-curled edges.  It is raised on a gadrooned and turned pedestal set on a quatrefoil base with reeded bun feet disguising the original castors.  The interior, without fittings, is relined in crushed blue velvet.  English, circa 1835. Susan Stuart, in Gillows of Lancaster and London 1730-1840, (ibid), p.110, pl.658, (above) illustrates a rosewood teapoy which is stamped Gillows.Lancaster.  This version has a plain box but the pedestal and feet are very similar. Teapoys were originally delicate tables, with three legs, placed by a lady’s chair for her teacup and saucer.  As tea was extremely expensive in the 18th century, afternoon tea was a novelty amongst only the richest and most fashionable hostesses.  The small containers, or caddies, holding the precious leaves, would be placed in full view of the guests as a status symbol and also carefully locked.  By about 1785, tea prices had begun to fall and those who enjoyed drinking tea purchased their tea leaves in larger and larger quantities, thus driving the need for larger containers in which to store them.  Around 1810, the tea caddy and the teapoy were merged into a single unit.  Thus was born a piece of furniture which was functional, but also so elegant, that it could remain in the drawing room at all times and rapidly became de rigueur in the best homes.
A fine pair of George III figured mahogany side cabinets, in the manner of Thomas Sheraton
A fine pair of George III figured mahogany side cabinets, in the manner of Thomas Sheraton, each demi-lune top with a strung edge above a central frieze drawer flanked by dummy drawers, all above a shaped tambour door between shaped cupboard doors enclosing shelves, decorated with oval panels against quarter veneers, with the original rectangular brass handles, on outswept tapering bracket feet   Footnote: For a similar table design by Thomas Sheraton, see Elizabeth White, ‘Pictorial Dictionary of British 18th Century Furniture Design’, Antique Collectors Club, 1990, p255, Pl. 25.  There is also a related by John Linnell illustrated in Peter Ward-Jackson, ‘English Furniture Designs of the Eighteenth Century’ , V&A 1984, fig. 239.
An unusual Victorian mahogany Ottoman by F J Mercer
An unusual Victorian mahogany Ottoman by F J Mercer, of rectangular form with two bow ends, the hinged deep-buttoned top and the sides re-upholstered in distressed blue leather, the frame comprising a guilloche-carved rail set upon four sturdy supports carved with spiral bands and acanthus leaves, with a moulded rail below, the interior lined in the original blue silk, with a partial label for ‘F.J. Merc(er) Cabinet maker and u(pholsterer), 24 & 26, Fargate, Sheffield’. English, 1870.   Footnote:  Ann Jessop (also Wilde, Turner or Bardwell) was born around 1781 and had little formal education.  Her second husband, Edward Bardwell, was a cabinet maker and when he died, in 1821, she became the registered owner of their cabinet-making business.  By 1841 the business was large enough to be asked to tender to supply hundreds of mahogany chairs and matching tables. F J Mercer was her nephew and took over the business when she retired in the late 1850s.
A Regency Pollard oak sliding top davenport
A regency Pollard oak sliding top davenport with 4 mahogany lined draws to one side with a retractable pen and ink well draw all below an oak slide. The lifting top reveals draws within. Stamped T Wilson great Queen street London. Circa 1820 Provenance: Thomas Willson is recorded as a furniture broker and appraiser at 68 Great Queen Street between 1821-29, and is probably the same Thomas Wilson recorded as an auctioneer at 28 Great Queen Street 1799-1825. From 1830-1837 the business was continued by his widow Mary and his son Matthew using the stamp 'M.Willson' and after 1838 Matthew is listed alone at the Great Queen Street address. It was commonly believed that Thomas Willson was solely a dealer in second-hand furniture who used his stamp as a means of identification (it has, for example, been found on pieces of late 18th century date or stamped by other firm's such as that of Gillows). A rare and seldom seen paper label used by the firm states that he was a cabinet-maker as well as a broker. The label is illustrated in C.Gilbert, Pictorial Dictionary of Marked London Furniture 1730-1840, Leeds, 1996, p.483, pl.989. there is a mahogany writing table bearing the stamp of 'M.Willson' which is illustrated in C.Gilbert, op. cit., p.488, pl.1003 perhaps suggesting that these may both be pieces made by the firm.