Very Fine and Rare Federal Highly Inlaid and Figured Mahogany Five-Legged Demilune Games Table, Probably New York, Circa 1800

retains a rich historic surface.

Nathan Liverant and Son Antiques, Colchester, Connecticut.

Wear commensurate with age and use. Proper front right leg cracked below the junction with the frieze and reglued. Secondary wood: cherry
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.
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With its exceptional inlaid decoration, rich veneers, and fine proportions, this demilune games table is an outstanding achievement of Federal cabinetmaking. It represents the most popular games table form made in America during the Federal period and closely follows the design and inlaid decoration of patterns for card tables illustrated by George Hepplewhite in The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer’s Guide (London, 1794), particularly in the demilune shape and legs with strings of bellflowers separated by dots.¹ The elegant façade comprised of a three highly figured oval veneers flanked by triangles created by mitering pieces of cross-grain veneer at the four corners is a pattern favored by New York makers.  The sophisticated inlays and construction with a fifth leg are also characteristic of New York examples of the form. The elegant inlay scheme is comprised of a top centering a large paterae with veneered sectors of crotch mahogany outlined with light stringing. The oval veneered façade of the skirt displays panels inlaid with garlands of bellflowers on the pilasters atop the front legs. The edges of the top and skirt are also inlaid with lightwood banding. The tapering legs are ornamented with graduated strings of seven bellflowers separated by dots. In addition, the legs are outlined with light stringing and enhanced with crossbanded cuffs. For a related Federal demilune games table from New York, see one of mahogany at Winterthur Museum with five legs, an oval veneered façade, and bellflower inlays on the legs.² Another mahogany example of the form from New York with the label of Charles Courtright is in the collection of Gracie Mansion.³ Two other New York games with related inlaid decorative details include on in the Mabel Brady Garvan Collection at Yale University and one in a private collection attributed to William Whitehead (w. 1792-1800).<sup>4

1</sup> See George Hepplewhite, The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer’s Guide (London, 1794): plate 60, 61 and 63.
² See Charles Montgomery, American Furniture: The Federal Period (New York: The Viking Press, 1966), no. 284, p. 322.
³ See Benjamin A. Hewitt, Patricia E. Kane, and Gerald W. R. Ward, The Work of Many Hands: Card Tables in Federal America: 1790-1820 (New Haven: Yale University Art Gallery, 1982): no. 39, p. 158-9.
⁴ See ibid, no. 37, p. 157 and no. 38, p. 158-9.