A fine pair of George III parquetry and giltwood demilune console tables circa 1780

after a design by John Yenn, each demilune parquetry top inlaid with radiating segments of yew, oak, mahogany, maple, tulipwood and rosewood on an ebony ground, the frieze carved with a foliate edge and centered by an urn with a flame finial and rams' heads and hung with husk swags continuing to ribbon-tied swags and pendent husks, the waisted tapering fluted legs headed by rosettes and ending in waisted square feet; one with a paper label inscribed DRAWING / ROOM / LH OF FP and numbered 475 (?) to back rail, the other with a paper label inscribed DRAWING / ROOM / R H Fireplace.

Good restored condition; age cracks, shrinkage and lifting to veneers of tops; unusually use of native woods; some replacements to crossbanded veneers; later gilded with small losses to carved elements of frieze; minor replacements; 1st with small loss to foliage above left rams head; small loss to husk of swag of back left corner; small loss to one husk of back right side; 2nd with inpainting to edge of top; each back rail with a cut-out rectangular hole to the center; overall with some old marks and scratches; some chips and losses to gilding.
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 bases of these console tables closely relate to a design by the architect John Yenn (1750-1821), now in the Victoria and Albert Museum (E.4967-1910) and illustrated in Peter Ward-Jackson, English Furniture Designs of the Eighteenth Century, London: HMSO, 1958, pl.262.  Yenn, a superb draftsman, was an assistant to George III's architect, Sir William Chambers (1723-1796), whom he succeeded as Treasurer of the Royal Academy.  A group of furniture designs by Yenn survives at the Victoria and Albert Museum; for a discussion of Yenn's designs for pier mirrors at Windsor, see H. Roberts, 'A Neoclassical Episode at Windsor,' The Journal of the Furniture History Society, 1997, pp. 177-187.

It is interesting to note the use of yewwood veneers for the parquetry tops.  As discussed in Gilbert and Beard, The Dictionary of English Furniture Makers, 1986, p. 593, the use of yewwood was the 'only wholly idiosyncratic veneer wood the firm used and is possibly unique to Mayhew and Ince among London cabinet-makers of this date.'   It has been suggested that Yenn worked with the firm of  John Mayhew (1736-1811) and William Ince (d. 1804), so it is tempting but not possible to firmly attribute these tables to the firm.