A matched pair of Regency rosewood games tables circa 1815

attributed to Gillows of Lancaster, each with applied gilt-brass mounts and with tooled leather inset tops, the centre section with a chequer games board to reversible above a velvet back gammon board in one table and a leather back gammon board to the other, each with a frieze drawer and twin D-shaped end compartments with hinged flaps, on lyre end supports, with sabre legs and brass capping and castors  

Both of these tables are in excellent condition. Both have a good colour and patina and apparently the original leather. Both have some old stains to the leather and also one has some minor cracking to the leather on one flap,. The leather is attractively faded and has characteristic wear. Both have minor characteristic old marks and scratches consistent with age and wear.
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The elegant lyre supports of these fine Regency games tables appear on several other tables which have other common features in their design and gilt-metal ornament. The group includes writing tables of rectangular form with either veneered or leather surfaces, games and writing tables similar to the present tables with curved ends and smaller work tables, the top drawers being fitted with rising writing slides and fitted with compartments for writing implements and for a work basket. Various veneers are recorded including mahogany, rosewood, calamander and amboyna. All of these examples are fitted with the same distinctive gilt-metal mounts which include turned drawer pulls with star form back-plates, palmette escutcheons, and inset leaf-form mounts to the castors. Most examples have bead mouldings.The extensive variety of mounts and the invariable fine quality of the cabinet-making of this group together with the use of fine timbers, indicate a maker of some size and importance. Although the London cabinet maker John McLean has been mentioned, the form of these tables and the other characteristics mentioned do not relate to any of his recorded labelled works.

The distinctive metal mounts possibly indicate the firm of Gillow of Lancaster as the cabinet maker involved. In particular they appear on an octagonal writing table supplied to Tatton Park in 1812 ( Furniture History Society Journal, 1970, vol. VI, `Gillows at Tatton Park', N. Goodison and J. Hardy, pp. 1-39, pls. 23A, 23B.) and to a group of library tables with carved gilt monopodiae supports from other known Gillow commissions. These include an example at Sandon Hall, Staffordshire and another now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, ( Desmond Fitz-gerald Georgian Furniture- The Victoria and Albert Museum, pl.135); together with the star-shaped back-plates and palmette escutcheons, the supports have paw feet encircled at the ankles with coronets. This curious device also appears on a suite of carved giltwood seat furniture with paw feet commissioned by Colonel Hughes of Kinmel Park, Denbighshire, from Gillow in 1805 ( see Fitzgerald, op. cit., pl.136). A table of identical form to the present tables was commissioned by Thomas Anson, 1st Viscount Anson ( 1767-1818) for the library at Shugborough, Staffordshire, ( illustrated in Christopher Hussey, English Country Houses, Mid Georgian, 1760-1800, 1955, pp.79-85, `Shugborough, Staffordshire', fig. 152, Thomas Anson`s Library Looking South), in the first decade of 19th century when alterations were being carried out by the architect Samuel Wyatt ( d.1807). This table is attributed to Gillows of Lancaster which firm had a close working relationship with the Wyatt dynasty of architects.

The firm of Gillows was first established in the city of Lancashire circa 1730, opening a branch in London in 1769.  

 

For comparison see Sotheby`s, The Moller Collection, London 18th November 1993, lot 127 and Sotheby`s New York, 21 October 2005, lot 295.