Lot Essay
This small writing/work table was almost certainly executed by Pierre Langlois, one of the leading London cabinetmakers working at Tottenham Court Road from 1759, who produced a wide range of furniture in the French manner in the 1760s and 1770s.
His trade card, which is inscribed in both English and French, shows a similar table in the upper left-hand corner (reproduced in A.Heal, The London Furniture Makers, 1953, p.94). This type of table, popular in France, gained favour in England in the 1760s and virtually identical examples were supplied by Langlois to Caroline, Lady Holland for Holland House, London and the Duchess of Northumberland for Alnwick, Northumberland. The Alnwick table is the only table with marquetry in the collection attributable to Langlois and is almost certainly the table noted by the Duchess of Northumberland in her 1763 Memorandum Books: 'A table inlaid Woods by L'Anglois. 8' (see P.Thornton and W. Rieder, 'Pierre Langlois, Ebniste. Part 4', The Connoisseur, April 1972, p.258, fig.4). The Holland House table, now at Melbury House, Dorset, is accompanied by a Langlois commode similarly inlaid and probably supplied after 1763 (op.cit., fig.3). The large blossoming floral sprays tied with ribbon, exaggerated curves and incut corners to the central panel are all characteristics typical to the work of Langlois at this time.
It is tempting to assume that this table was acquired by Dudley Coutts Marjoribanks (d.1894), later Baron Tweedmouth who, along with Lord Leverhulme, was was one of the earliest collectors of eighteenth century English marquetry (see L.Wood, Catalogue of Commodes, 1994, pp.28-30). Unfortunately, Hampton Lodge is not a known property.
His trade card, which is inscribed in both English and French, shows a similar table in the upper left-hand corner (reproduced in A.Heal, The London Furniture Makers, 1953, p.94). This type of table, popular in France, gained favour in England in the 1760s and virtually identical examples were supplied by Langlois to Caroline, Lady Holland for Holland House, London and the Duchess of Northumberland for Alnwick, Northumberland. The Alnwick table is the only table with marquetry in the collection attributable to Langlois and is almost certainly the table noted by the Duchess of Northumberland in her 1763 Memorandum Books: 'A table inlaid Woods by L'Anglois. 8' (see P.Thornton and W. Rieder, 'Pierre Langlois, Ebniste. Part 4', The Connoisseur, April 1972, p.258, fig.4). The Holland House table, now at Melbury House, Dorset, is accompanied by a Langlois commode similarly inlaid and probably supplied after 1763 (op.cit., fig.3). The large blossoming floral sprays tied with ribbon, exaggerated curves and incut corners to the central panel are all characteristics typical to the work of Langlois at this time.
It is tempting to assume that this table was acquired by Dudley Coutts Marjoribanks (d.1894), later Baron Tweedmouth who, along with Lord Leverhulme, was was one of the earliest collectors of eighteenth century English marquetry (see L.Wood, Catalogue of Commodes, 1994, pp.28-30). Unfortunately, Hampton Lodge is not a known property.