A fine pair of George III sabicu, wavy wengewood, satinwood and tulipwood marquetry brass-mounted pier tables Circa 1775

each gilt-brass mounted serpentine top with outset square corners and centered by a ewer on a wenge wood ground and flanked by ribbon-tied bouquets of lilies of the valley, roses and forget-me-nots, the serpentine apron centered by an oval patera within a ribbon-tied husk wreath, continuing to husk swags draped over roundels and through oval paterae, with husk pendants down the legs.

Very good quality; exotic timber; finely drawn marquetry; nice color; good restored condition; now with a glossy finish; cleats to tops made of mahogany; The first marked 'O' to underside with rippling and warpage to top over lines of construction; the wenge wood veneered central panel with cracks and tears and with slight lifting, areas of inpainting throughout and with patches; the ewer with later inpainted sides replacing original marquetry, portions of marquetry lacking especially to handle, inpainting to base; the wenge wood background now with a matt finish masking inpainted sections; back left corner with a horizontal age crack running from the left side horizontally into the top approximately 8 inches in length; age cracks over lines of construction to center with inpainting especially to the marquety lily-of-the-valley floral leaf spray; age cracks and inpainting to right side especially below bouquet; slight lifting to brass edge and minor replacements to veneers of crossbanding; four screws lacking to the lacquered brass banding of top and with lifting to back left corner of banding; crossbanded border of frieze with age cracks and separations to veneers; losses and replacements to crossbanded veneers below central patera and now with inpainting; the right side of the husk wreath with losses to engraved decoration; minor loss to marquetry of left frieze at juncture of garland and paterae to top of front left leg; some facings to feet replaced, restorations to some of the veneers of feet; metal collars to tops of legs in need of realignment; underside of top routed and with shims to correct warpage and subsequently lacking screws to side rails; minor replacements to veneers of block feet with wear, perishing to varnish and scratches. The other marked 'X' to underside, the top with rippling and warpage over lines of construction; some minor lifting a nd separations to veneers of crossbanding; age cracks to veneers of wenge wood ground and inpainting and minor replacements to veneers of lower left and central right parts of the panel; separations at joins of veneers of the oval panel; ewer appears to be in good condition and with some age cracks to veneers; left and right sides of top with age crack and separation to veneers along lines of construction beneath and now with inpainting – minor inpainting to stem of lily-of-the-valley marquetry; age cracks and separations to veneers of crossbanding with minor replacements; brass border with minor lifting; the frieze with minor replacements to marquetry of central patera and to berries and leaves at bottom; separation and replacements to veneers of crossbanded border and now with minor inpainting; some facings to feet replaced and with some restorations, back left foot lacking veneers to front and right side; feet with small losses, wear and scuffs with perishing to finish in places; age crack to underside of top and now with shim; underside of side rails lacking screws due to warpage; back corner blocks lacking bottoms.
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.

These fine George III brass-mounted padouk, wavy wengewood, sabicu and tulipwood pier tables have characteristics of some of the leading 18^th century London cabinet-making firms, including Mayhew and Ince and John Cobb.  John Mayhew and William Ince, whose partnership is described in The Dictionary of English Furniture Makers 1660-1840 as 'one of the most significant, probably the longest lived but, as far as identified furniture is concerned, the least well documented of any of the major London cabinetmakers of the 18^th century.'  Very little is known of the early life of the Royal cabinet-maker John Cobb (circa 1715-1778) until he entered into partnership with the elder William Vile in 1751.  Shortly after this, on May 31, 1755, he married Sukey Grendey and became the son-in-law of the celebrated cabinet-maker Giles Grendey.  Cobb continued in business for thirteen years after Vile's retirement in 1764.

Each top of these pier tables is bordered by a brass gadrooned edge, sometimes used by Mayhew and Ince.  They are centered by a marquetry trompe l'oeil handled ewer in the form of a Greek oinochoe in the Etruscan taste, a style promulgated by the neo-classical architect Robert Adam in his quest to educate the public about the glories of the 'Antique' (Adam was known as 'Bob the Roman' in his lifetime).  The body of the ewer is depicted with an oval cartouche within interlaced draped husk swags.  There are many examples of this identical ewer in varying sizes used on all types of furniture, including pier tables, commodes, cabinet doors, etc., possibly made by an outside firm specializing in marquetry.  It is inlaid on an oval ground of wavy wengewood, one of the exotic woods found in Mayhew and Ince's and also John Cobb's furniture.  The wenge wood oval is flanked by ribbon-tied bouquets of flowers containing roses, lilies of the valley and forget-me-nots inlaid on a padouk ground.  These are probably derived from French print sources of the mid 18^th century and similar bouquets are seen in the marquetry of Parisian ébénistes of the 1760s.

The friezes are inlaid with trompe l'oeil swags centered by a ribbon-tied berried laurel-wreathed oval patera inlaid to simulate fluting and draped over circular roundels, threaded through foliate-inlaid paterae and continuing down the brass-mounted legs to husk pendants and ending in brass feet.  This marquetry is very similar to that on a commode and two pedestals at Corsham Court supplied by John Cobb in 1772 for Paul Metheun which have become seminal to his identification as a maker of the highest quality furniture, often incorporating a variety of exotic timbers.

Lucy Wood, Catalogue of Commodes, London: HMSO, 1994, p. 91, figs. 75-77, illustrates the Corsham suite  as well as a group of similarly inlaid commodes from the collections of Lord Tweedmouth, Col. Mulliner and Lord Lever, op. cit., p. 93, figs. 81-82, and  Lord Leverhulme and Lord Henry Thynne, op. cit., p. p. 94, figs. 83-85.   Once again, these motifs are derived from the paintings and designs of French artists and architects, such as Greuze, Vien and Neufforge and seen in the marquetry furniture of Oeben and Garnier.

A Transitional harewood commode with gilt-metal gadrooned edge to the top, similar swags, ewers within 'pearl'-inlaid borders (suggesting Mayhew and Ince) was sold, Christie's London, June 25, 1970, lot 94; a cabinet on stand with similar large-scale ewers, the stand with swags and husks threaded through paterae was sold, Christie's London, June 25, 1981, lot 67.

A pair of side tables without mounts but with seemingly identical marquetry to the frieze and legs was sold, Anderson Art Association Anderson Galleries Inc., The Contents of Ophir Hall, Residence of Mrs. Whitelaw Reid, May 14-18, 1935, lot 637.   A larger single table was advertised by Frank Partridge in Country Life, April 12, 1919, p. lv, with a large marquetry urn to the top, the frieze and legs with almost identical marquetry, the legs cuffed at the bottom.