A Louis XV/Louis XVI ormolu-mounted tulipwood, amaranth, parquetry and marquetry table de toilette, stamped with the crowned coat-of-arms of Amsterdam and J.G. for the St. Joseph Gild circa 1770

Slight water damage and cracking to top in places, with small losses of veneer. Cracks to marquetry overall. Minor repalcement and minor lifting. Good unrestored condition. Ormolu rubbed in places.
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.

In recent years it has become apparent that in both Amsterdam and The Hague and almost certainly in other large Dutch cities as well, marquetry furniture in the French manner was produced from the 1760s onwards. The Dutch furniture makers who first began to work in the French manner were not introducing a taste previously unknown in the Netherlands; on the contrary, they tried to imitate furniture from France because it was being imported in large amounts and found high favour with the buying public. In both the city of Amsterdam and of The Hague the furniture makers' guild complained to the local government of this practice of importing and selling furniture, which was officially forbidden. In 1770 the Amsterdam city council received a request from the Amsterdam Guild of Saint Joseph in which a complaint was made about the importation of furniture and that this foreign competition had forced many furniture makers to reduce the size of their workshops. As a result, the Amsterdam city council renewed and amplified the ban on importing foreign furniture in January 1771. In order not to harm the interests of tradesman and the (foreign) stock they still had in stock, the trade was allowed to sell these last pieces, provided they were stamped with the mark of the Guild of Saint Joseph. This is the stamp composed of the letters J and G flanking the crowned coat-of-arms, which occurs either raised within a sunken reserve or directly impressed in the wood.

see Baarsen, R.J., Aspecten van de Nederlandse meubelkunst in de tweede helft van de achttiende eeuw, Alphen aan den Rijn, 1993, pp. 157, 158, 168.