Thomas Moore
Head of Department
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Lot 251TP
A second quarter 19th century birds' eye maple, lacewood, ebony, bois satine, palmwood, mahogany, purplewood and fruitwood marquetry and parquetry table top possibly Jamaican, apparently in the manner of Ralph Turnbull
18 – 19 April 2023, 10:00 BST
London, Knightsbridge£4,000 - £6,000
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A second quarter 19th century birds' eye maple, lacewood, ebony, bois satine, palmwood, mahogany, purplewood and fruitwood marquetry and parquetry table top
possibly Jamaican, apparently in the manner of Ralph Turnbull
The main circular inlaid roundel depicting a row of pitched roof houses interspersed with chimneys and one with a turret, with a large tree in the background and several stars in the sky, with floral and foliate trails inlaid on a chequer-type parquetry foreground, within a Greek key surround and a border comprised of assorted naval flags, with a raised and curved edge, approximate diameter of the top: 97cm; 3cm deep (excluding the underside rails).
The main circular inlaid roundel depicting a row of pitched roof houses interspersed with chimneys and one with a turret, with a large tree in the background and several stars in the sky, with floral and foliate trails inlaid on a chequer-type parquetry foreground, within a Greek key surround and a border comprised of assorted naval flags, with a raised and curved edge, approximate diameter of the top: 97cm; 3cm deep (excluding the underside rails).
Footnotes
Certain aspects of the present lot are redolent of the output of the 19th century Jamaica-based cabinet maker, Ralph Turnbull (1788-1865). These include; relative naivety of details such as the flowers and foliage within the marquetry design; a bold contrasting use of lighter and darker timbers to create depth; the presence of geometric or cube-type fields of inlay; and patterns or borders involving flags, particularly nautical or naval flags.
However, despite these characteristics being present on the offered table top, it would appear to be quite unusual that there is such a strong architectural element to the main central region which does not appear to be a recurrent motif on other known Turnbull pieces. Also one would not expect to see buildings surmounted with chimneys in the Caribbean, especially considering the warm climate. As a result of these factors, unfortunately there is not sufficient evidence to conclude that this table top is attributable to Turnbull or indeed is even certainly of Jamaican origin, but further in-depth research would likely reveal more information in this area.
Despite having been born in Scotland, Ralph Turnbull re-located to Jamaica in circa 1815, where he established a furniture business with his two brothers, Thomas and Cuthbert. His firm appears to have flourished during the second quarter of the 19th century.
By way of comparison there are two related marquetry tables, one executed by Ralph Turnbull and the other attributed to Turnbull's workshop. The former, which is the most important example, is a centre table currently with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, whilst the latter is an occasional table which sold Lyon and Turnbull, Edinburgh, 2 September 2020, Five Centuries: Furniture and Works of Art, lot 250.