A George III mahogany 'rent' drum table, circa 1770

Probably Probably Sir Nicholas Bayly, 2nd Bart. (1709–1782) or his son Henry Bayly-Paget, 1st Earl of Uxbridge (1744–1812).

Lofts & Warner, London, An Inventory and Valuation […] At Plas Newydd, Anglesey, 1948, p.65, in the Corner Room, ‘An 18^th century mahogany circular library table fitted ten drawers on square base’ (Private Family Archive).

This table conforms to a popular late 18th century type, sometimes described as a 'rent' table, the lettered drawers allowing for the alphabetical arrangement of important estate papers. The present example omits the letters J and U, bringing the number of drawers to a neater total of 12 instead of 13. The decision to miss out these letters in particular should be seen in the context of the high levels of literacy in Latin amongst the aristocracy and gentry of the eighteenth century, given that Classical Latin does not differentiate between I and J, nor U and V (thus the name 'Julius' tended to be written as 'IVLIVS').

For related examples, see the drum table from the Collection of Ambassador and Mrs. Felix Rohatynold, sold Sotheby's New York, 21 October 2020, lot 211 and the table formerly in the collections of the Barons Monson, sold Sotheby's London, 29 April 2014, lot 21.