Lot 282
  • 282

A Regency brass inlaid ebonay, amboyna and rosewood library table, circa 1815, attributed to George Bullock

Estimate
30,000 - 40,000 GBP
bidding is closed

Description

  • rosewood
  • 74cm. high, 92cm. wide, 71.5cm. deep; 2ft. 5¼in., 3ft. ¼in., 2ft. 4¼in.
with two short frieze drawers

Condition

In excellent restored condition and ready to place.
"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."

Catalogue Note

This library table, with its richly figured amboyna top, brass inlaid border and ebony ribbons, is conceived in the French 'buhl' manner and belongs to a group of 'Grecian furniture' manufactured by George Bullock (d. 1818) after his tour of Paris in 1814. Having visited Paris in 1814 Bullock returned to England inspired to establish his new London 'Mona Marble and Furniture' works at 4 Tenterden Street, Hanover Square (C. Wainwright, George Bullock: Cabinet-Maker, London, 1988, p. 157).

The present table-top displays a ribbon of trefoiled sprigs, which replaced the more common French laurel-wreath and was much favoured by Bullock. An oak sofa table at Boughton House, Northamptonshire, with identical borders was acquired directly from Bullock by the 4th Duke of Buccleuch in 1814. The borders also appear on the suite of furniture manufactured for Don Pedro de Souza e Holstein, 1st Duke of of Palmella (d. 1850), Portuguese ambassador to the court of the Prince Regent, later King George IV, the majority of which was sold Christie’s, London, 25 July 1987, lots 171-181 (L. Wood, 'George Bullock and the Duke of Palmella', National Art Collections Fund Review, 1988, pp. 96-100). The columnar supports with arched feet and foliate decoration relate closely to a sofa table supplied by Bullock to Mathew Robinson Boulton (1770 – 1842) for his house Strattons on the Great Tew Park estate. (Sold Christie’s, London, Great Tew Park, 27-29 May 1987, lot 340). As one of the few recorded commissions with extant bills, it certainly grounds the present table within Bullock’s oeuvre and secures the attribution.