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Lot Essay
The tables' plinth-supported and truss-scrolled trestles evolved from the type of marble antiquity such as the palm-flowered and lion-pawed seat drawn in Rome by the architect Charles Heathcote Tatham (d.1842) and illustrated in his Etchings of Ancient Ornamental Architecture, 1799. One such antiquity inspired a design in C. Percier and P. Fontaine's Receuil de Décorations Intérieures, 1802 (pl. 15); and this in turn inspired a centre-table, likely to have been executed under Tatham's direction, that was supplied for the London mansion/museum of the connoisseur Thomas Hope (d.1832) and illustrated in Hope's Household Furniture and Interior Decoration, 1807 (pl.12, nos. 6 and 7). Another Regency connoisseur, Wilbraham Egerton of Tatton Park, Cheshire commissioned a "Tomb of Agrippa" centre table of similar antique inspiration circa 1810, and it may well have been Gillows who supplied a similar table to the 5th Duke of Rutland at Belvoir Castle, circa 1810.
This type of monumental, architectural table pattern in the Grecian "antique" manner enjoyed enduring popularity and was subsequently re-issued in George Smith's Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Guide , 1826. A table of similar character is likely to have been commissioned by James Gibbons (d.1846) for the great drawing-room of his Regency villa, Ballynegall, County Westmeath. Sold at Christie's, London, 23 April 1998, lot 119, it was almost certainly supplied by the leading Dublin firm of Mack, Williams and Gibton of Stafford Street whose label appears on other pieces from the house.
The successful partnership of Mack, Williams and Gibton was formed in around 1812 and flourished under this name until the death of John Mack in 1829. The firm is recognized for the superb timbers employed and their high quality of workmanship which is often compared to Gillows of Lancaster and London. As with this piece, much of the furniture they produced was inspired by the designs published by Thomas Hope and George Smith. The original partners John Mack and Robert Gibton are listed in the Dublin directories individually from 1784 and 1790, respectively, and appear to have come into partnership from 1803. They were appointed "Upholsterers & Cabinet Makers to his Majesty, His Excellency the Lord Lieutenant and His Majesty's Board of Works" in 1806 and the firm retained this Royal Warranty for many years, supplying and restoring furniture for important public buildings in Ireland including the Four Courts, the War office, the Barracks Office, Dublin Castle and the Treasury and Viceregal Lodge.
This type of monumental, architectural table pattern in the Grecian "antique" manner enjoyed enduring popularity and was subsequently re-issued in George Smith's Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Guide , 1826. A table of similar character is likely to have been commissioned by James Gibbons (d.1846) for the great drawing-room of his Regency villa, Ballynegall, County Westmeath. Sold at Christie's, London, 23 April 1998, lot 119, it was almost certainly supplied by the leading Dublin firm of Mack, Williams and Gibton of Stafford Street whose label appears on other pieces from the house.
The successful partnership of Mack, Williams and Gibton was formed in around 1812 and flourished under this name until the death of John Mack in 1829. The firm is recognized for the superb timbers employed and their high quality of workmanship which is often compared to Gillows of Lancaster and London. As with this piece, much of the furniture they produced was inspired by the designs published by Thomas Hope and George Smith. The original partners John Mack and Robert Gibton are listed in the Dublin directories individually from 1784 and 1790, respectively, and appear to have come into partnership from 1803. They were appointed "Upholsterers & Cabinet Makers to his Majesty, His Excellency the Lord Lieutenant and His Majesty's Board of Works" in 1806 and the firm retained this Royal Warranty for many years, supplying and restoring furniture for important public buildings in Ireland including the Four Courts, the War office, the Barracks Office, Dublin Castle and the Treasury and Viceregal Lodge.