CIRCA 1825, THE TOP FIRST QUARTER 19TH CENTURY, INCORPORATING EARLIER PIETRA DURA PANELS

The precious plaques of Italian pietre dure that feature on this table-top may have been assembled in the early 19th century, following the fashion of incorporating 17th century Florentine pietre dure panels into cabinet-work, as featured on the pair of magnificent side cabinets, commissioned by the collector George Watson-Taylor (d. 1841) for Erlestoke Park, Wiltshire from the London cabinet-maker and marchand-mercier Robert Hume, circa 1820-25. One of the cabinets was in the collection of Mr. S. Jon Gerstenfeld and sold in these Rooms, 6 July 2000, lot 100 (£1,653,750). A pair of cabinets from Brynkinalt, Clywd, was sold by Marina Picasso, Christie's London, 14 December 2000, lot 20 (£102,750) which featured similar 17th century Florentine plaques depicting flowers, birds, a tigress and lioness, and fitted into George IV ebony cabinets. The feline pictorial plaques in the Brynkinalt cabinets were executed in a pale yellow marble known as Tigrato or Dendrite dell'Arno, as used for the tiger in this table-top.