A GEORGE IV BLACK, GILT AND SILVERED CHINESE LACQUER AND JAPANNED CENTRE TABLE
THE PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN
A GEORGE IV BLACK, GILT AND SILVERED CHINESE LACQUER AND JAPANNED CENTRE TABLE

CIRCA 1830, THE BASE ENGLISH

Details
A GEORGE IV BLACK, GILT AND SILVERED CHINESE LACQUER AND JAPANNED CENTRE TABLE
CIRCA 1830, THE BASE ENGLISH
Decorated overall with scrolling foliage, the rounded rectangular top with a central reserve within a surround depicting exotic birds above two frieze drawers on scrolled supports and splayed feet with brass caps and castors, the drawers added in England circa 1830, the japanned, gilt and silvered decoration on the frieze and base English
29 in. (74 cm.) high; 52 ¾ in. (134 cm.) wide; 27 ½ in. (70 cm.) deep
Provenance
The Property of the 2nd Lord Rootes and thence by descent

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Carys Bingham
Carys Bingham

Lot Essay

Chinoiserie remained popular in the 19th century, promoted by the Prince of Wales whose marine pavilion at Brighton, completed in 1822, was perhaps the most visible and lasting expression of the fashion. However, trade between East and West was increasingly dominated by smaller items and among lacquer ware boxes for dressing, stationery and games, caddies and trays predominated rather than the larger cabinet furniture that had been popular in the 18th century. At the same time the influence of the East India Company started to wane, ultimately losing its monopoly on the China trade in 1833.
The present lot features a top and frieze of Oriental lacquer, the boards of the top being secured by bamboo pegs visible from the underside, which was subsequently supported on a base of English design and manufacture, the japanned decoration of the latter executed in imitation of true lacquer. It was not uncommon for flat panels to be exported to the west, given that they could be tightly packed and transported more economically than bulky finished objects, and it is not known who might have created the table in its fully realised form, but it may well have been one of the many furniture dealers or cabinet-makers that proliferated in London's West End and Soho in the 1820s and 30s that raised the table on its typically English base and altered the frieze to incorporate drawers. The panel forming the table top was originally fully decorated.
A pair of Regency brass-mounted lacquer and japanned centre tables was in the collection of the Earls of Warwick at Warwick Castle, illustrated in J.Leyland, Warwick Castle I and II, Country Life, 30 January 1897 pp.112 - 114 and 6 February, 1897, pp. 126 - 128, sold Sotheby's New York, 11 October 1996 ($420,000 including premium). Another export black lacquer centre table, circa 1830, similar to the present lot, was exhibited by Partridge, Bond Street, London, Summer Exhibition, 1990.

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