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Lot Essay
The elliptic pier table is designed in the George III Roman fashion introduced by the architect Robert Adam (d.1792). The pattern of its flowered Roman-acanthus frieze relates to seats designed in the 1760s for Osterley Park, Middlesex and his tripod torcheres designed in the 1770s for the 3rd Earl of Bute (M. Tomlin, Catalogue of Adam Period Furniture, 1982, p.16, cat no. B1; and R. & J. Adam, Works in Architecture, vol. III, 1822, pl. XI).
Likewise the table's palm-wrapped and spiral-fluted columnar legs appeared on another of Adam's torcheres (ibid, vol. I, No. 1, 1773, pl.VIII). The same frieze, but with Apollo sunflowers was adopted for elliptic tables now at Dunsany Castle, Co. Meath, Ireland (D. Guinness and W. Ryan, Irish Houses and Castles, 1972, p. 256).
Likewise the table's palm-wrapped and spiral-fluted columnar legs appeared on another of Adam's torcheres (ibid, vol. I, No. 1, 1773, pl.VIII). The same frieze, but with Apollo sunflowers was adopted for elliptic tables now at Dunsany Castle, Co. Meath, Ireland (D. Guinness and W. Ryan, Irish Houses and Castles, 1972, p. 256).