Lot Essay
The sofa table is of distinctive form that is sometimes attributed to Gillows, though there appears to be no specific design in their Estimate Sketch Books. Among the notable features are reeded panels that flank the drawers which allude to similar panels on the fashionable furniture made around 1805 - 10 and generally attributed to John McLean, while the crossbanding is apparently generally of yew wood.
A number of similar tables have been sold at auction; a virtually identical table, possibly the lot offered here, was sold anonymously Sotheby's, London, 6 - 9 May 1988, lot 111 (£20,350 including premium), and another with a sliding panel in the top inlaid for chess and revealing a backgammon well below was sold anonymously Christie's, New York, 7 April 2006, lot 279 ($14,400 including premium).
A number of similar tables have been sold at auction; a virtually identical table, possibly the lot offered here, was sold anonymously Sotheby's, London, 6 - 9 May 1988, lot 111 (£20,350 including premium), and another with a sliding panel in the top inlaid for chess and revealing a backgammon well below was sold anonymously Christie's, New York, 7 April 2006, lot 279 ($14,400 including premium).