A George II Walnut Side Table, Circa 1740

John W. Kluge (1914-2010), Morven, Albermarle County, Virginia;

Christie's New York, 16 December 2005, lot 71.

The elegant foliate carving on this table needs little historical analysis – it is quite simply a superb example of the expressive, dynamic potential of low-relief carving in furniture. However, there are notable design features worth considering within the wider context of English furniture in the George II period. The overall form, of a side table with a decoratively carved apron is a common one, as is the claw-and-ball foot, which is thought to derive from similar Chinese motifs depicting a dragon clutching at a pearl. However, the stylised leaf that centres the composition is not a standard decorative motif in furniture of this period – it appears to be a version of the strawberry leaf that is typically found in the coronets associated with several elevated ranks of the English aristocracy, including Duke, Marquess and Earl. The upturned foliate detail at the ‘knees’ of the table is also not often found on tables, adding a sense of movement and extending the sweep of the leg. While one table with this feature sold at Sotheby’s London, The Leverhulme Collection, 26-28 June 2001, lot 273, it is generally associated with the elegant walnut seat furniture created in the period by Giles Grendey in particular.

The previous owner of this table, John Werner Kluge (1914–2010), was born in Saxony and moved to the USA at the age of eight. He would go on to become a highly successful entrepreneur, creating the Metromedia broadcast empire that spanned multiple television and radio stations, and would later become the basis for the Fox television network. He was also an active philanthropist, including generous donations to Columbia University earmarked for scholarships and the establishing of the Library of Congress Kluge Prize for lifetime contributions to the humanities and social sciences.