Late 19th Century English Mahogany Chinese Chippendale Silver Table

Details

Description

The Georgians knew that even a useful table deserved a little seduction. This English mahogany silver table from the late … Read more The Georgians knew that even a useful table deserved a little seduction. This English mahogany silver table from the late 19th century, looks back to the great galleried tables of the 1760s with enough conviction to make a purist reconsider their rules. Its top is cut from one broad, uninterrupted piece of mahogany, framed by a pierced Gothic arcade. Slender clustered-column legs, delicate pierced brackets, and tiny casters give the whole thing an unexpected lightness. The effect is architectural but remarkably light, Gothic tracery reduced to something almost lace-like.

Made during the great Chippendale Revival of the late 19th century, the cabinetmaker understood the language: proportion, restraint, and the tension between disciplined Georgian form and unabashed ornament. Better still, it has none of the preciousness its pedigree might suggest. Lamp and books by day; bottles, glasses and a good decanter by night. Bedside, fireside, against a wall or pulled into the middle of things, it adapts to any setting beautifully.

A century late, perhaps, but handsome enough that even the Georgians might have forgiven the indiscretion. See less