A fine George III mahogany tripod table circa 1760

the top rotating, the feet on leather casters.

The Estate of Cynthia Phipps

Two legs with repaired breaks and now with some infilling and inpainting and with small loss to leaf-tip carving of one leg at break; good figured mahogany; overall good restored condition; the top with slight warpage and with two age cracks, one of which extends from the center to the edge and with a subsequent small chip and crack to the molded edge; small plug to molded edge to correct the other age crack of the top; the laminated fretwork gallery with an old repaired broken section approximately 1 inch by 1 ½ inches with subsequent inpainting; the underside with a later inlaid rectangular patch possible to correct warpage approximately 4 inches wide by 27 inches long running against the grain of the wood; the tops of the C scroll supports each with a small metal hook possibly for a swag? The circular molded support to the underside above the tripartite stem with later screws; the underside of the tripartite base connecting the three legs possibly with a later tripartite metal brace, two legs with a screw hole to the underside; perishing to the varnish and scuffs to the edge of one leg; scuffs and scratches to the edge of another leg; 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.

This finely conceived table would have been used for various pursuits such as games, needlework or taking tea.  The tripod base allowed it to sit firmly on an uneven floor, bases of this design being used also for fire screens and small kettle stands. The present table is notable for its richly colored and figured top with its fret gallery and neatly carved edge, the stand being imaginatively designed with a tier of joined C-scrolls with foliate carving and elegantly scrolled and pierced cabriole supports. Tables of this form, described as Claw Tables, are shown in John Ince and William Mayhew's Universal System of Household Furniture, published in 1762.

The present table is almost identical to a table at Longford Castle and illustrated in Percy Macquoid and Ralph Edwards, The Dictionary of English Furniture, rev. ed. Reissued, Woodbrigde: Barra Books, 1983, p. 206, fig. 13.  The Longford Castle table has a double coronet to as the collar to the triple C-scroll stem and there are slight variations to the carving of the legs; however the overall form as well as a number of distinctive attributes like the pierced fretwork gallery, molded edge to the top; trailing acanthus to the legs and the stylized shell and rocaille carved feet suggest that the table was made in the same workshop.  The Longford Castle bills are very thorough listing a number of cabinet makers, three of whom, Benjamin Goodison, William Bradshaw, William Hallett and William Vile, stand out as possible makers of that table.  A beautifully carved dumbwaiter now in the Noel Terry Collection, Fairfax House York, has very similarly carved legs and feet and was sold at Hotspur in 1954.

See:

The Noel Terry Collection of Furniture and Clocks, York, 1987, p. 108, no. 106

Ince and Mayhew, The Universal System of Household Furniture, London, 1762, pl. XIII, 'Claw Tables', for related examples.