A George II carved mahogany and inlaid urn stand circa 1755

the square top with a fret-carved gallery and chequer-inlaid top edge with a candle-slide, on a turned and fluted column, on foliate capped scrolled legs and conforming feet

Norman Adams Ltd., London.

C. Claxton Stevens and S. Whittington, 18th Century English Furniture, The Norman Adams Collection, Woodbridge, 1983, p. 308 and p. 292, col. pl. 26a and 26b. 

The catalogue illustration is slightly too orangey/red in tone. There are replacements to the gallery and old repairs to the apparently original sections. The top has been cleaned. The thread securing the top has been replaced in beechwood and the top cut down to fit inside the thread which has in turn been slightly dished to the underside of the top to accommodate the thread before the reduction. The moulded block to the underside of the top has previously been removed and re-glued and slightly damaged in doing so. The top surface of the stem and the underside of the block have been slightly planed down to ensure a level fit. The top of the stem with two very slight cracks which appear to have been glued. The slide with an age crack. There is an old repair to the top of one leg. The table is finely and crisply carved and an unusual example. There is an old polish to the base with a slight craquelure. Overall in good condition with minor old marks and scratches consistent with age and use. SALEROOM NOTICE Please note that the gallery is apparently later and there are restorations to the top.
"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 exceptionally carved and proportioned urn or kettle stand is one that became popular as the fashion for tea increased throughout the 18th century. Indeed, in 1703 Gerreit Jensen supplied Queen Anne  with 'a walnuttree stand for a teapot'  whilst Thomas Chippendale continued to exploit their popularity issuing 'Designs for Teakettle Stands' in the third publication of his Gentleman and Cabinet Makers Director of 1762, pl. LV, adding that they 'are so easy to understand that they want no explanation'.

A kettle stand with virtually identical pierced fretwork gallery in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, is illustrated in R. Edwards, The Dictionary of English Furniture, rev. ed., 1954, vol. III, p.156, fig.3.