A Fine Victorian Ormolu Mounted and Marquetry Inlaid and Marble-Inset Table En Chiffonière in the Louis XVI Style Circa 1860

with cedar veneers and inlaid with various stained and engraved woods, the top inset with a mottled green marble panel, the lower shelf inlaid with a V  beneath a Royal crown inlaid with stained ivory and within ribbon- tied sprays of roses and thistles.  Lacking mount to front of drawer, marble cracked, losses.

In un-restored condition; the marble panel cracked; the top with age cracks with small losses; the drawer lacking its mount and handle, now with in-filled holes; veneers to legs with some lifting and losses; shelf with slight warping; all toes with losses and lifting to banding; left front leg with break; mounts with original gilding, requiring cleaning and some loose and lacking fixing pins, formerly with casters.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The present table was almost certainly commissioned as a Royal gift, either from or to Princes Victoria (1840-1901), daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, as indicated by the crowned V and the sprays of roses and thistles emblematic of England and Scotland. In 1858 she married Frederic III, Emperor of Germany and King of Prussia.

The form and design of the table is copied from other tables  made by the 18^th century French maître ébéniste Martin Carlin, an example of which is in the Wrightsman collection in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (See: F. J. B. Watson, The Wrightsman Collection, vol. I, pp. 282-283, no. 142). The Wrightsman table, inset with Sèvres plaques, is virtually identical in size to the present table, the distinctive basket-weave ormolu gallery being identical. However, the English origin of the latter is shown by its workmanship which is of the highest quality with several unusual features such as the use of cedar veneers not only on the outer surfaces but also on the drawer linings and on the underside of the lower shelf, and also the unusual composition of the other inlays.

It is difficult to ascribe a maker to the table, although they must have had knowledge of an example by Carlin to be able to create the present example so precisely. The marquetry is of the highest quality, as are the ormolu mounts. Unfortunately, the piece lacks the handles and mounts to the front of the drawer, although its shadow and size indicate that it was a panel which could possibly have been engraved with a presentation inscription. This would obviously have provided some indication as regards its provenance, as would have the worn fragments of a paper label glued to the underside.

A related table with ormolu mounts and ivory inlay, stamped Morant & Boyd, 91 New Bond Street, London, was sold, Sotheby's, London, June 30, 2004, lot 180.