A FINE GEORGE II MAHOGANY SIDE TABLE
A FINE GEORGE II MAHOGANY SIDE TABLE
IN THE MANNER OF WILLIAM KENT, C.1740-50
the verde antico marble top above a Vitruvian scroll carved frieze and a ribbon moulding, with a leaf scroll and lambrequin carved apron, on acanthus carved cabriole legs and lion's paw feet
76cm high, 128cm wide, 67.5cm deep
Provenance
Purchased by the current vendor from the Pelham Galleries, 23rd June 1977, as 'A George II finely carved mahogany side table on cabriole legs, with original fossil top'.
Catalogue Note
This handsome side table, of exceptionally robust and sculptural character, belongs to the sophisticated Roman Revival furniture produced during the early years of the George II period. The boldly articulated apron, enriched with exuberant foliate and lambrequin carving and centred by a finely carved Vitruvian-scroll frieze, reflects the classical vocabulary championed by the 3rd Earl of Burlington and developed with particular theatricality by his protégé, the artist and architect William Kent (1685–1748).
The Vitruvian scroll, derived from the ornament of classical Roman architecture, was an important component of the Romanizing vocabulary employed by Kent and his circle. Here, its continuous rhythm provides a formal counterpoint to the vigorous acanthus carving, linking the architectural character of the marble top with the deeply sculpted apron and supports. Together with the acanthus-carved cabriole legs and boldly modelled paw feet, the ornament gives the table the animated, almost architectural quality characteristic of the most ambitious furniture of the period.
With its Vitruvian frieze, exuberant acanthus ornament and sculptural supports, the present table finds a particularly interesting comparison in a George II giltwood side table from the collection of the 7th Earl of Lanesborough, sold at Sworders, Fine Interiors, 23 June 2026, lot 9, for £90,000 hammer. The related use of deeply carved classical ornament and the Kentian vocabulary of the frieze and supports provides a compelling comparison for the present example.
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A FINE GEORGE II MAHOGANY SIDE TABLE
IN THE MANNER OF WILLIAM KENT, C.1740-50
the verde antico marble top above a Vitruvian scroll carved frieze and a ribbon moulding, with a leaf scroll and lambrequin carved apron, on acanthus carved cabriole legs and lion's paw feet
76cm high, 128cm wide, 67.5cm deep
Provenance
Purchased by the current vendor from the Pelham Galleries, 23rd June 1977, as 'A George II finely carved mahogany side table on cabriole legs, with original fossil top'.
Catalogue Note
This handsome side table, of exceptionally robust and sculptural character, belongs to the sophisticated Roman Revival furniture produced during the early years of the George II period. The boldly articulated apron, enriched with exuberant foliate and lambrequin carving and centred by a finely carved Vitruvian-scroll frieze, reflects the classical vocabulary championed by the 3rd Earl of Burlington and developed with particular theatricality by his protégé, the artist and architect William Kent (1685–1748).
The Vitruvian scroll, derived from the ornament of classical Roman architecture, was an important component of the Romanizing vocabulary employed by Kent and his circle. Here, its continuous rhythm provides a formal counterpoint to the vigorous acanthus carving, linking the architectural character of the marble top with the deeply sculpted apron and supports. Together with the acanthus-carved cabriole legs and boldly modelled paw feet, the ornament gives the table the animated, almost architectural quality characteristic of the most ambitious furniture of the period.
With its Vitruvian frieze, exuberant acanthus ornament and sculptural supports, the present table finds a particularly interesting comparison in a George II giltwood side table from the collection of the 7th Earl of Lanesborough, sold at Sworders, Fine Interiors, 23 June 2026, lot 9, for £90,000 hammer. The related use of deeply carved classical ornament and the Kentian vocabulary of the frieze and supports provides a compelling comparison for the present example.
Read more »
