A pair of George III satinwood card tables Irish, circa 1790, attributed to William Moore of Dublin

Almost certainly acquired by Simon White for Bantry House, Co. Cork and thence by descent.

Desmond Guiness and William Ryan, Irish Houses and Castles, London, 1971, p.69, showing the tables in situ in the Drawing Room at Bantry House.

This pair of tables is in `country house' condition. Table 1: The top is slightly warped and has an age crack. The veneer around the top edge is chipped and lacking several sections. There is section of veneer missing from the top left hand ege of the frieze. Some age cracks to the frieze. Feet have been grooved up for a veneer which is now lacking. Minor losses to veneers generally, old marks and scratches. Moth holes and marks to the baize. Table 2: Top is warped. Losses to veneers around the edge of the top. Losses and patches to the veneer on the frieze particularly on the left but also on the right hand side. Feet grooved up as with the other table. Moth holes and marks to the baize. Losses to stringing, old marks and scratches.
"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 style of the marquetry on this pair of games tables leads to an attribution to the London-trained Irish cabinet-maker William Moore of Dublin. Possibly the son of William Moore, a cabinet maker recorded at Inns Quay and Charles Street, who died in 1759, he appears to have attended the School of Landscape and Ornament Drawing at the Dublin Society of Drawing Schools in 1768, after which he was employed in the workshop of John Mayhew and William Ince, before returning to Ireland at some time before December 1777. In 1782 Moore placed an advertisement in Faulkener's, Dublin Journal, addressed 'To the Nobility and Gentry' informing 'those that may want inlaid work'....that....'he has brought the manufacture of such perfection to be able to sell for almost one half its original prices; as the greatest demand is for pier Tables, he has just finished in the newest taste a great variety of patterns, sizes and prices......card tables of new construction...also small pier tables with every article in the inlaid way'.