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A PAIR OF NORTH EUROPEAN GILTWOOD AND GILT-COMPOSITION CARD-TABLES WITH CHINESE EXPORT BLACK AND GOLD LACQUER TOPS

MID-18TH CENTURY

Details

A PAIR OF NORTH EUROPEAN GILTWOOD AND GILT-COMPOSITION CARD-TABLES WITH CHINESE EXPORT BLACK AND GOLD LACQUER TOPS
Mid-18th Century
Each with a rounded eared rectangular hinged top enclosing a playing-surface with four counter-wells, four candle-stands and decorated with an island landscape with pagodas and temples, the corners with baskets of flowers, above a trellis-patterned frieze with foliage scrolls and a shaped apron, on double-curved cabriole legs headed by pinched foliage-carved capitals, with George IV gilt-brass feet, inscribed in pencil 'RED LIBRARY' and 'State Drawing Room', regilt, the tops moved and possibly reused
31½ in. (80 cm.) high, closed; 32 in. (81 cm.) wide; 16 in. (40.5 cm.) deep (2)

Provenance

Almost certainly bought by John Alexander, 4th Marquess of Bath (1831-1896) for Longleat and by descent at Longleat.

Literature

1869 Inventory, Drawing Room, 'A pair of carved and gilt card tables with Japan lacquer tops'.
1896 Inventory (4th Marquess' Heirlooms), f 32 r Saloon, 'An old Queen Anne folding top shaped card table lined lac Japan decorated landscape and baskets of flowers, carved gilt frame on bold shaped legs measurement when folded up 2 ft 8 x 1 ft 2 in.'
f 51 r Red Library, 'A 2 ft 7 old Queen Anne folding card table top lined lac Japan decorated landscapes and baskets of flowers on carved gilt scroll frame'.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

These tables have Chinese Export lacquered games-table tops. Tops such as these were often exported with a folding gateleg base such as one sold anonymously, in these Rooms, 2 November 1989, lot 89.
The tops closely relate to a pair listed in the 1777 inventory of the Chinese Pavilion at Drottningholm, Sweden, under 'Far Eastern Objets d'Art'. The Drottningholm table tops, though on different bases, are strikingly similar in size, shape and decoration, featuring not only similar central motifs of rocky island landscapes, but also baskets of flowers in the rounded candle-trays, sprays of flowers in the counter-wells and rope-borders along the edges (A. Setterwall, S. Fogelmarck and B. Gyllensvärd, The Chinese Pavilion at Drottningholm, Malmö, 1974, pp.129, 151 and 282).

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