An important Regency mahogany, ebonised and parcel-gilt writing table circa 1810, in the manner of Thomas Hope

the locks stamped 'BRAMAH PATENT'

The Property of a Gentleman, Sotheby's London, 7 July 1995, lot 129, £125,000.

Good overall condition. The decoration appears to be basically original with some possible retouching. The leather has been replaced. Minor replacements to the veneers on the edges of the top. Metal braces to the underside of the legs. Minor age cracks to the tops of the Lotus leaf `clasps' connecting the x-shaped end supports. Characteristic small chips and wear to some gilded areas. A very attractive table in basically good original condition.
"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 form of this writing or library table is closely related to the celebrated example in the Whitbread collection at Southill Park, Bedfordshire and which was originally commissioned by Samuel Whitbread II circa 1810 and which is illustrated in margaret Jourdain, Regency Furniture, 1795-1820, rev. ed., 1948, p. 124, fig. 130 and also in Ralph Edwards and Percy Macquiod, The Dictionary of English Furniture, rev. ed., 1954, vol. III, p. 262, fig. 54. Both tables share very similar end supports composed of addorsed and crossed lion monopodia joined by a turned stretcher and similar handles. It is highly likely that the tables were produced in the same workshop, possibly that of the renowned partnership of Nicholas Morel and Robert Hughes who are recorded as having worked at Southill. There are also several pieces, closely related in design to the current table, documented as having come from the workshops of Morel and Hughes which most notably include a pair of stools supplied to the 3rd Duke of Northumberland, with similar cross supports and carving and illustrated in Margaret Jourdain, op.cit., p. 60, fig.113.

An alternative attribution for this desk may be the firm of Marsh and Tatham who were also employed at Southill where they possibly worked under the direction of the architect and brother to the senior partner Thomas Tatham, Charles Heathcote Tatham. A noted furniture designer and classicist, it is very possible that C.H. Tatham may have had a hand in the design of the Southill table and indeed the offered lot. The styling of both these tables demonstrates the advanced neo-classical style so favoured by Tatham.

There is however a distinct parallel between the design of the end supports of this table and a design for a stool, published by Thomas Hope in his Household Furniture and Interior Decoration, of 1807, pl 12, fig. 4. Likewise, the winged Egyptian motifs to the ends appear in his design for a chimney piece illustrated as pl. 10 in his seminal work. It should also be noted that there is a stool conforming to Hope's design in the collection of Viscount Allendale at Bretton Hall, Yorkshire and illustrated in Margaret Jourdain, op.cit., p.101, fig. 85.