18TH CENTURY

Details

An Italian specimen marble inlaid centre table
18th century
The circular top inlaid with a central marmo nero belgio maze centred by a brocatello helmet within verona and white marble Greek key border, on a marmo nero belgio column support, of cylindrial form, on a square platform
32in. (81.5cm.) wide, 20in. (51cm.) high

Provenance

The top: The Earl of Shelburne, Bowood House, Calne, Wiltshire; sold Christie's London, 21 September 1995, lot 40.
The base: Londonderry House, Park Lane, London.

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

Symbolising 'heroic virtue' in the antique manner, this white marble table-top is inlaid with an ancient 'Galeae' helmet that is enclosed in a labyrinthine of Grecian black ribbon-frets and a Pompeian red border. The table is likely to have accompanied the celebrated collection of antique marbles assembled at Shelburne (Lansdowne) House, Mayfair by William Fitzmaurice, 2nd Earl of Shelburne, later 1st Marquess of Lansdowne (d. 1805) and Henry, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne (d. 1863) (see J. Dallaway, Anecdotes of the Arts in England, 1800; and A. Michaelis, Ancient Marbles in Great Britain, Cambridge, 1882). Some of the collection was moved by the 3rd Marquess to Bowood, Wiltshire in 1810.

The top is displayed on a black marble column that was formerly at Londonderry House, Park Lane, which was demolished in 1962.

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