An Unusual Sheraton Period Satinwood Demilune Side Table with Undertier of Outstanding Colour and Patination, c.1790

An Unusual Sheraton Period Satinwood Demilune Side Table with Undertier of Outstanding Colour and Patination, c.1790, the demi lune top crossbanded with mahogany, the frieze inlaid with satinwood ovals, two with the original silvered brass handles and concealing drawers, all raised on four square tapering legs on spade feet, joined by a shaped stretcher or undertier with penwork and engraved decoration. Stamped on the base with an ‘R’ belowan earl’s coronet. English, circa 1790. Provenance Most probably the collections of the Earls of Radnor at Radnor House, Coleshill or Longford Castle Michael Lipitch Ltd, sold in his single owner sale at Sotheby’s 22nd of May 1998 Later acquired by Eddy Bardawil Antiques, Kensington Church Street Of satinwood with mahogany crossbanding and with inlaid satinwood ovals on the frieze. The table incorporates two central drawers with silvered brass handles and the four square-sectioned legs have the typical Sheraton period taper and are joined by a shaped stretcher or undertier which has penwork and engraved decoration on it. The table stands on four spade feet. On the base of the table is a stamp in the form of a capital R underneath an earl’s coronet. Assuming that the table was supplied to an English family, which seems almost certain, there are surprisingly few candidates for the use of this mark which was presumably applied as a sign of ownership, probably when an inventory was taken and contents of a house were divided or moved to other properties. It is highly likely, therefore, that this stamp records previous ownership of this piece by the Earls of Radnor, based at Radnor House in London and Coleshill and Longford Castle in the provinces. A specialist button dealer is currently offering a large number of late 18th and early 19th century hunting coat buttons made by the firm of Firmin and Sons on the Strand. These buttons are still attached to the original pattern sheet with details of the monograms and abbreviations recorded. One of these buttons shows an earl’s coronet above a capital R and is annotated ‘Earl of Radnor’. Additionally, a bookbinding for one of the ladies of the family is recorded in the University of Toronto armorial bindings database and utilises the R for Radnor as part of the monogram, rather than the owner’s given name https://armorial.library.utoronto.ca/stamps/Iple001_s1 This table is of the popular demilune shape but has a number of unusual features. It is of much greater depth than is usually the case, meaning that the drawers in the frieze offer considerable storage space. It may well be that it was intended as a serving table and that these drawers could have been used for storing cutlery or other dining accessories. The square tapering legs are joined by an undertier or stretcher which has penwork decoration of a patera with central feathered boss. This feathered boss design is generally believed to have become popular in England due to the publication of Robert Wood’s The Ruins of Palmyra in 1753. Firms such as Ince and Mayhew made extensive use of this motif and it was incorporated in to many furniture and architectural designs of the period by the likes of Robert Adam and Sir William Chambers. The shape of the undertier is highly unusual, the incurved sides being reminiscent of the stretchers used on a series of Pembroke tables attributed to the Marlborough maker Henry Hill. One of Hill’s clients was the Earl of Radnor though only one bill for his work, dated 1772 and for a single item, survives. It is likely that more furniture was supplied over the years and it is just possible that this piece could have been the work of this talented maker, especially if the stamp on the base of the piece does indeed indicate a Radnor provenance. Although the table top doesn’t incorporate the trademark marquetry and parquetry with which the maker is closely associated today, the overall quality of the table and its unusual feature set suggests a top quality maker based outside of London and Hill could be a candidate. This table has acquired a truly outstanding colour and patination, the satinwood having aged beautifully. The timbers used throughout are of fine figure and the carcase of the piece incorporates many oak elements, always a sign of fine quality. The table is clearly related to Thomas Sheraton’s designs for pier tables published in his Drawing Book in 1791 but designed to be a more practical and sturdy piece. The quality of the construction and timbers suggests a very good maker, quite probably in London.