CIRCA 1720, POSSIBLY BY JOHN BELCHIER

This pier-table, richly modelled in bas-relief, comprises acanthus flowers framed within a flowered ribbon-scrolled mosaic in the Louis XIV 'antique' manner. It would likely have originally accompanied a mirror (similar to that in the preceding lot) to form a bedroom apartment pier-set, such as the silvered gesso table bearing the arms of Meller supplied by John Belchier (d. 1753) in 1723 for Erddig, Wales (R. Edwards and M. Jourdain, Georgian Cabinet-Makers, London, rev. ed., 1955, p. 137, fig. 31), with which the present table bears some stylistic similarities, however it is a second table of slightly earlier date from the same collection which resembles the present table more closely, whilst likely also by Belchier, The National Trust's attribution of that table is less firm (NT 1146957). A pair of tables of closely related design, displaying the same distinctive scallop-shell decorated frieze and very similar decoration to the top, also shaped with re-entrant corners to a slightly simpler, but still very similar leg and foot, was sold Christie’s, New York, 14-15 April 2011, lot 550 ($80,500; see also G. Beard and J. Goodison, English Furniture 1500-1840, London, 1987, p. 53, fig. 6.).