AN IMPORTANT GEORGE III CARVED GILTWOOD AND MAHOGANY SIDEBOARD TABLE IN THE MANNER OF THOMAS CHIPPENDALE circa 1760

the rectangular figured veneered top with outset canted corners above a conforming carved gilt-wood frame, the frieze with foliate ornamented running ovals within egg-and-tongue and ribbon-and-rose moldings, the six legs headed by acanthus leaves above pendant husks continuing to foliated scrolls at each side above square paneled legs inset with lozenges and husks, the curved upper sides imbricated within long foliate scrolls above panels inset with fret work and husks, the shaped and molded block toes with fluting, cabochon, and foliate C-scroll ornament.

With Lenygon & Company, 31 Old Burlington Street, London, circa 1914

Sotheby's, New York, April 19, 2002, lot 703

Francis Lenygon, Furniture in England from 1660-1760, London, 1914, p. 132, fig. 206

The top with extensive water damage, lifting and losses to veneers, with some small chips to the edges, some chips, losses and wear to gilding, overall with some old marks, scratches scuffs and bruises.
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.

By the 18^th century, the Dining Room in English houses had progressed from being a small eating parlor, or a room which had several functions with 'moveable' furniture, to a major room in its own right within the necessary parade of State rooms which probably included a long gallery, a drawing room and a bedroom, the latter being one of the least truly functional of them all. The present table would have been used to display silver and gilt plate, the objects being primarily designed as 'show' pieces which would have enhanced the prestige of its owner. It clearly derives its design from Sideboard Tables shown in the third edition of Chippendale's Director published in 1763, and is also closely related to a manuscript design attributed to him which is in the Collection of The Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Although now gilded, the extremely finely drawn and crisply carved detail indicates that it was originally painted, the original color probably being related to the plasterwork and architectural detail of the room. The photograph of the table when in the possession of Lenygon & Company in 1914, although in black and white, does indicate that it was painted at that time, as was the top which appears to have been painted to resemble marble; however, because the top, which is original, is veneered in figured mahogany, it is unlikely that it had a painted finish.

Lenygon & Company were primarily interior decorators and antique dealers and furniture restorers whose premises were at 31 Old Burlington Street, London. They had a number of illustrious clients including the Duke of Devonshire, the Earl of Pembroke and W. H. Lever, later Viscount Leverhulme, and it is apparent that a number of copies of period furniture from these collection were made by the firm, either as reproductions or possibly even as pieces to deceive. In 1909 Francis Lenygon, the principal of the firm, published in 1909 The Decoration and Furniture of English Mansions during the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. One of the earliest publications to put English furniture into a historical perspective, it now appears that the text was actually written by Margaret Jourdain, who was to become one of the pioneer historians of the subject.

See:

Thomas Chippendale, The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director, London, 3^rd edition, 1763, pl. LXI dated 1760

E. White, Pictorial Dictionary of British 18^th Century Furniture Design, Woodbridge, 1990, p. 42, for a related manuscript design by Thomas Chippendale