Lot Essay
This table is typical of the carved ebony furniture manufactured on the island of Ceylon/Sri Lanka throughout the nineteenth century. While its form derives from English pattern designs of the second quarter of the nineteenth century (such as Thomas King's The Modern Style of Cabinet Work Exemplified of 1829), its carved ornament is influenced by local traditions. These tables, typically with specimen wood tops, were made for the British colonists in Ceylon and India as well as for export to England. A pair tables with similar supports was sold in these Rooms, 21 January 1999, lot 379.