​The maker of this table is unknown as there is no furniture stamp or paper label to be found to identify which workshop or agent it was purchased from. The table is an eclectic piece which combines elements from antiquity with exotic woods and dates from around the first half of the nineteenth century. It could be linked to the Regency period (1811-1820).[1] What are we looking for when trying to identify the elements of this piece of furniture?

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It helps to consult historical furniture design books of the period such as The Cabinet Dictionary (1803) by Thomas Sheraton (1751-1806) or A Collection of Designs for Household Furniture and Interior Decoration (1808) by George Smith (1786-1826).[2] As an example of a pedestal table, Thomas Hope (c. 1770-1831) illustrated a much more ornate version of this one in Household Furniture and Interior Decoration (1807).[3] The publication of this book meant that cabinet-makers across the country could make versions of Hope’s design as illustrated in plate 39.[4]

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It is important to learn how to date furniture from looking at the design of the foot element. Animal feet were popular in European furniture design during the seventeenth through to the nineteenth century. A carved animal paw, usually a clawed lion’s paw, with an ornate extension above - like the scroll in this case - is known as a monopodium foot style.[5] This foot style is often seen on sofas, chairs and tables and was very popular during the Regency period demonstrating how furniture makers of the time embraced classical motifs. On this specific table, the carved wooden lion paws are gilded to add to the luxurious look of the finished piece.

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The shaft is concave-triangular or triform in shape and decorated with chased gilt metal laurel leaves in the form of a circular crown. This metal element is a neo-classic symbol, and whereas the lion’s paw signifies strength and majesty, the laurel wreath means victory and honour.

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The circular table top is veneered in exotic woods. Veneers are thin sheets of wood which are attached to a carcass or core panel to give the piece of furniture visual appeal by using either marquetry or inlay techniques. Here the dominant timber is an attractive rosewood, and the circular table top is accentuated with contrasting bands and strings in different veneers. One of the wide bands towards the outer edge is amboyna wood which is framed with stringing in a dark wood like ebony to achieve decorative contrast. The use of exotic wood veneers indicates that this table was likely made by a cabinet-maker based in London, as they were the ones who had greater access to imported furniture woods. But, as the result of a commission, it expresses the taste of the patron and the period.

 

 

 

 

[1] Two useful publications that can help with identifying furniture are: Christopher Payne, British Furniture. 1820 to 1920: The Luxury Market (ACC Art Book, 2023); Christopher Payne, Paris Furniture: The Luxury Market of the Nineteenth Century (Éditions Monelle Hayot, 2018).  

[2] Thomas Sheraton, The Cabinet Dictionary, containing An Explanation of all the Terms used in the Cabinet, Chair and Upholstery Branches (W. Smith, 1803); George Smith, A Collection of Designs for Household Furniture and Interior Decoration, in the most approved and elegant taste engraved on 158 plates, from original drawings (J. Taylor, 1808).

[3] Thomas Hope, Household Furniture and Interior Decoration (Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, 1807).

[4] Hope, Household Furniture, 40.

[5] Ibid., 40.