A GEORGE I FEATHERBANDED YEW, BURR-YEW AND IVORY GAMES TABLE, EARLY 18TH CENTURY AND LATER |

the two short drawers and candle slides, with later gadrooning to frieze on later carved mahogany cabriole legs terminating on scaly claw and ball feet

By repute Louise Renée de Penancoët de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth (1649–1734), thence to her niece Lady Charlotte Herbert (1676-1733) who married John, 2nd Baron Jeffreys of Wem (1673-1703) and latterly Thomas Windsor, 1st Viscount Windsor of Blackcastle (1669-1738); 
to Lady Herbert's daughter Henrietta Louisa Jeffreys, later Countess of Pomfret (1698–1761), who married Thomas Fermor, 1st Earl of Pomfret, 2nd Baron Leominster (1698–8-1753); 
to their daughter Lady Charlotte Fermor (1725–1813), who married the Hon. William Finch (1691–1766);
to their daughter Mrs. Matilde Finch, who according to the accompanying note, gifted the table to General Thomas William Fermor, 4th Earl of Pomfret FRS (1770–1833); 
thence by descent.

H. Avary Tipping, 'Easton Neston, Northamptonshire, The Seat of Sir Thomas Fermor-Hesketh, Bt. - II', Country Life, 14 November 1908, p. 669 (illustrated in the Large Drawing Room);
Phillips & MacConnal, Inventory of Contents of Easton Neston House, Northamptonshire, 1919, listed in the Drawing Room as a 'Walnut chees board and chess-men inlaid with ivory, presented to Charles II';
Anon. compiler, An Inventory of the Mansion and Contents Easton Neston House, Towcester, 1923, item 29, listed in the Drawing Room as a 'Charles II chest [sic] table and pieces on cabriolet legs formerly property of Louise DeQuerouille';
Anon. compiler, Easton Neston House, Towcester, Inventory and Valuation of Contents, 1927, item 33, listed in the Drawing Room as a 'Charles II chest [sic] table and pieces on cabriolet legs formerly property of Louise DeQuerouille';
H. Avary Tipping, 'Easton Neston, Northamptonshire, The Seat of Sir Thomas Fermor-Hesketh, Bt. - II', Country Life, 27 August 1927, p. 298 (illustrated in the Saloon);
J. Kenworthy-Browne, 'Easton Neston, Northamptonshire: 2', The Connoisseur, September-December, 1964, p. 146 & 148, figs. 6 & 12 (illustrated in the Small Sitting Room, then called the Pink Drawing Room).

A charming piece of great quality in overall reasonable 'country house' condition. Chess board with water marks and numerous age splits to ivory and burr yew inlay and further minor movement and splits to burr veneers throughout. Small areas of lifting, loses and conforming restorations to banding. Surface is dry and would benefit from a wax polish according to taste. One heart shaped ivory escutcheon with significant loss. Missing oak rail to underside of top to guide drawers. Sign of former blocks/legs to each corner of top. No keys but drawers are unlocked. One lock mechanism requires re-fixing. Generally with old marks and scratches consistent with age and use.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present games table, with its finely featherbanded candle-slide and drawer-fronts, beautifully figured burr-yew veneers and arched beaded apron frieze, is an exceptional example of early 18th century craftsmanship. The use of a dense  hardwood for the drawer and candle-slide linings is very early and a further indication of its superior quality. According to family tradition, the table was referred to as 'Lady Windsor's Table' by Countess Pomfret (1698–1761) and her descendants. A typed note accompanying the table, dating to the second quarter of the 19th century, sets out the aforementioned provenance. Whilst its association with Charles II and the earliest lines of reputed provenance are probably apocryphal - Henriette Mauricette Kérouaille's (1650-1685) dates are out of kilter with the stylistic and constructional dating of the table - there is no doubt it has long been regarded as a treasure in the Pomfret and Fermor-Hesketh collections.

The games table was apparently re-mounted in the antiquarian taste at some point in the 19th century and the boldly carved mahogany cabriole legs, with reptilian scaly claw feet, recall the output of Gillows of Lancaster and London from the 1820/30s.  It is conceivable Gillows were commissioned to re-mount 'Lady Windsor's table and the quality of the carving coupled with the identifiable Gillows interpretation of the George II style add further weight to the attribution.