A George I giltwood and gilt gesso side table

1715-1720

Footnotes

Provenance
The offered lot was acquired from Mallett & Son (Ltd.) on 12 December 1967.
Following this purchase, the present table belonged to the late Sir Joseph and Lady Barnard.
Thereafter, it remained as part of the furnishings of East Harlsey Hall, Northallerton, in North Yorkshire, which was until recent years the family residence of the Barnards.

When the current lot was sold by Mallett, the heraldic device featuring on the centre of the above table was believed to be one of the coats of arms used by the historically renowned and noble Cholmondeley family. Unfortunately, it has not proven possible to confirm or validate this familial association, whilst we have not been able to identify the arms thereon with any degree of certainty. Nonetheless it seems as though this heraldry may possibly refer to someone in the Cholmondeleys, albeit perhaps a slightly more distant relative than was previously implied by Mallett.

The present table shares characteristics with the work of two leading makers of gilt-gesso furniture during the early Georgian era. Foremost of these is the Royal cabinet maker James Moore (d. 1726), whose signed furniture is recorded in the Royal collection at Buckingham Palace and Hampton Court (see C. Gilbert, Pictorial Dictionary of Marked London Furniture, 1700-1840, 1996, pp.'s 339-341 pl's. 652-658; P. Macquoid and R. Edwards, The Dictionary of English Furniture, rev. ed. 1954, 3 vols., vol. III, p. 281, figs. 22-24).

Moore is also associated with the furnishing of Blenheim Palace, Burlington House, Dalkeith Palace and Boughton. Certain aspects of the ornament to the top of the offered table as well as its geometric frieze decoration bear comparison with elements to one of a pair of giltwood tables attributed to James Moore, supplied to Richard Temple, Baron Cobham for Stowe Buckinghamshire circa 1715 (See R. Edwards and M. Jourdain, Georgian Cabinet-Makers, London: Country Life Ltd, 1944, p.24 and pl. 20; Victorian & Albert Museum Accession no: W.30-1947).

The distinctive strapwork design featured on the frieze of the offered lot, closely relates to that on a pair of tables with provenance from Countess Mona Bismarck, sold Sotheby's Monaco, 30 November 1986, lot 800 and subsequently Christie's London, 8 July 1999, lot 120. Although the latter tables were unattributed to a specific maker, a stylistic comparison was drawn between the acanthus ornament to the feet and those on a table supplied by the cabinet maker John Belchier for John Meller at Erdigg Park, Wrexham during the years 1722-1726 (see R. Edwards and M. Jourdain, Georgian Cabinet-Makers, London, rev. ed., 1955, fig. 31); however it should be noted that the hoof feet exhibited on the present lot are not featured on any documented furniture by Moore or Belchier.

A gilt mirror with closely related geometric strapwork, also attributed to John Belchier which was supplied to Sir Andrew Fountaine for his London residence in St. James and subsequently removed to Narford Hall, Norfolk in 1732-3, sold Sotheby's New York 18 April, 2015, lot 86. Belchier delivered a gilt mirror for John Meller at Erdigg in 1726, at a cost of £50, originally situated in one of the best bedchambers (Edwards and Jourdain, op. cit., fig. 33).