A Fine and Important George IV Period Rosewood Library Side Table by Gillows of Oxford Street, London, c.1825

A Fine and Important George IV Period Rosewood Library Side Table by Gillows of Oxford Street, London, c.1825 Of symmetrical cartouche form, the table veneered in the finest rosewood with both carved detailing and inlaid brass or “Boulle work”. The table has four turned legs with a remarkable variety of carved mouldings ranging from typical Gillows reeding to leaf carving of various forms and gadrooning. The legs are joined by a central stretcher which has been ornamented in a complementary manner. The drawer fronts and mock drawer fronts on the piece have inlaid brass panels, the basic form taken from the work of the great French ornamentalist Jean Berain who was active in Paris in the 17th century. Beneath the drawers and running around the frieze is a fine beaded moulding. The top of the table features bookmatched rosewood veneers, surrounded by a wide band of inlaid cut brass work which follows the complex shape of the table ends beautifully. This important table looks at first glance to be a library table, designed to be placed in the centre of a room. However it has dummy drawers to one side, functional drawers to the other, and, as such, was probably designed to be placed against the back of a settee or against a wall despite its shape which was commonly used on centre tables during this period. Further evidence of this is supplied by the fact that a pair of tables of this precise model are at Tatton Park in Cheshire and have been arranged behind the settees there in the drawing room. These tables, catalogued by the National Trust as side tables, may be viewed online here: https://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1297166 Tatton Park is one of the most important documented commissions for the London branch of Gillows. The Tatton tables are discussed by Dr Susan Stuart in her monograph on the Gillows firm, one of the tables being illustrated in fig. 216 of her book. Another example of this form of table was supplied to Belton House in Lincolnshire and is shown in situ in a 1963 Connoisseur article. The relevant image is reproduced here. In this case, the table was placed at the end of a bed, again illustrating the versatility of this particular design. Another important example of this form of table was commissioned for Syston Park, also in Lincolnshire, by the Thorold baronets. These tables, with their use of “Boulle-work” cut brass inlay were amongst the most luxurious productions of the Gillows firm and would have been extremely expensive. The very finest rosewood was also employed in their construction and these tables have great presence and decorative appeal.