A George III mahogany serpentine sideboard table circa 1780

the serpentine top above a conforming fluted frieze centered by a carved coat of arms flanked by two drawers to either side, raised on square tapering legs headed by sunflower-head paterae and ending in spade feet.  The back rail with an old paper label with inked number 9683(?).

The Rev. William Lloyd Baker, Stouts Hill, Uley, Gloucestershire, thence by decent

Overall good restored condition; now with a glossy finish; small patch to right edge of central left frieze drawer; the top with some minor warpage and with a large faint stain to the front left corner and with some old scratches; some old worm damage to the back rail; the underside of the solid mahogany top with a red wash; top slightly reduced in depth at back; overall with some old marks, scratches 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.

The present table is carved with the arms of Baker with the arms of Lloyd in pretense, probably signifying the marriage of The Rev. William Lloyd Baker of Stouts Hill, Gloucestershire, to Mary Lloyd.  Mary was the daughter of William's uncle the Rev. John Lloyd, rector of Ryton, Durham, who was the grandson of William Lloyd, Bishop of St. Asaph, Lichfield, Coventry, and last of the male line.  The coat of arms reflects Mary's position probably as heiress of the Lloyd family.

Stouts Hill, situated outside of Uley, Gloucestershire, was built for Timothy Gyde around 1743.  David Verey and Alan Brooks, The Buildings of England, Gloucestershire 1: The Cotswolds, London: Penguin Books, 1999, p. 705, pl. 91, assert that the house was most certainly designed by William Halfpenny of Bristol (b.? – 1755).  Halfpenny was the author of many architectural treatises, design books, and various publications including a number of publications about Gothic architecture such as Chinese and Gothic Architecture Properly Ornamented, 1752 and Rural Architecture in the Gothic Taste, 1752.  Verey and Brooks describe Stouts Hill as a 'delightful Rococo Gothick house...' and 'a very early example of the genre' and while the house is executed in the Gothic manner, they describe the dining room as 'ostensibly more classical.' See Howard Colvin, A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600-1840, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2008, fourth edition, p. 468.

Stouts Hill was bought by the Rev. William Lloyd Baker in the last quarter of the 18^th century.  The present sideboard table may have been commissioned at the time of his marriage to Mary Lloyd, circa 1775 and would fit into the classical dining room at Stouts Hill.  In 1808, Thomas John Lloyd Baker, William's son, bought Hardwicke Court, Gloucestershire and its lands from Philip York, the first Earl of Hardwicke, and commissioned Sir Robert Smirke to build a new house on the site of the old house, which had been built in the 14^th century and remodeled over the subsequent years by the Trye family.  Members of the Lloyd-Baker family continued to live at Stouts Hill until 1935, when Olive Lloyd-Baker leased the house to a preparatory school, which used the house until 1980.