A carved giltwood console table Régence, circa 1720

with a moulded fossilised mottled grey, peach and white marble top above a serpentine frieze centred by a stylised scallopshell within a pierced c-scroll cartouche carved with scrolling acanthus and foliage on a trelliswork ground, on pierced scrolled cabriole legs headed by a scallopshell and carved with flowers and foliage, on inward scrolled feet joined by a pierced shaped stretcher carved with foliage, scrolls and shells, the carcass incised with Roman numerals I-IV; gilding worn and some minor retouching to gilding in places

In overall good original condition and a most attractive model and size. The colour of the marble top is slightly darker overall and more attractive than in the catalogue photograph. Old very minor marks and chips commensurate with age, with a few scattered medium-sized chips along the rear edge. Colour of gilding slightly darker overall and much more attractive than the catalogue photograph. Very attractive detail to carving. There is a minor restoration to the right corner internally, which appears to have been stapled and there are several staples on the carcass which cannot be explained. There are old minor restorations to the carved section generally, where broken in the past, but well executed and hardly noticeable. Old minor marks and chips to gilding generally. There is some very minor losses to carved section of acanthus leaf on left foot, but those hardly noticeable. The horizontal supports to the back and centre beneath the marble top show signs of age but are possibly later replacements. There are a few very minor restored breaks to the intricately carved decoration.
"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."

Comparative Literature:
Bruno Pons, De Paris à Versailles 1699-1736, Universités de Strasbourg, 1983, pl. 512.
T. A. Strange, French interiors, Furniture, Decoration, During the 17th and 18th centuries, London, p. 230. 

This finely carved console table belongs to a group of ingeniously designed and intricately carved tables, probably executed by a sculptor of great skill in the league of Legoupil, Taupin and Degoullons, who were active in the first and second quarters of the 18th century. The carving reflects the designs of François Roumier (1690/1700-1748), see Pons, op. cit., plate 511, for an engraving for a console table from François Roumier's Livre de plusieurs Desseins de pieds de tables en console...(pl. 1-6), Paris, Bibl. d'Art et d'Archéologie (Cat. C*)-reproduced here in fig.1.  

It is also worthwhile considering designs for console tables by Nicholas Pineau, illustrated by Strange, op. cit., p. 230, with a simlarly carved c-scroll cartouche on the frieze and scallopshell on the knees.

François Roumier (d. 1748):
He was the celebrated French ornamental sculptor and furniture designer and is recorded in Paris from 1716 onwards. In 1721, he became the sculpteur du roi and worked at the royal palaces on boiseries and other carved furniture and fittings for the next ten years alongside, although independent from, Degoullons and his partners. His carved and giltwood furniture was outstanding such as the side-table made for the Cabinet du roi at Versailles in 1730-31 and still in situ.

Nicolas Pineau ( 1684-1754):
He was the son of a sculptor and the former Nicolas was a leading rococo designer and the creator along with Meissonnier of the genre pittoresque (1730-35). Pineau was born in Paris and architecturally trained and began his career in Russia (1716-26), where he accompanied the architect Leblond. He designed boiseries for Peter the Great's cabinet at Peterhof circa 1720. On his return to Paris, he became one of the most fashionable designers and his clientèle included a number of financiers and members of the nobility and in 1744, he decorated the celebrated pavilion de Croix-Fontaine. Some of his designs were engraved during his lifetime by Jean Mariette (1660-1742) and edited in l'Architecture Française (lst edition 1727) and circulated widely.