French Thuya And Brass Inlaid Serpentine Cave A Liqueur Or Tantalus Box

A very fine and interesting late 17th century English work box or travelling case English Circa 1680 Of conventional form with slightly domed lid, this piece has acquired a magnifi...

An extremely elegant, rare Regency amboyna and brass inlaid gilt bronze mounted pier table. Provenance Part of Sir William Whitfield Collection. English Regency period, Circa 1815. The raised back with open shelf, surmounted by a pierced anthemion three quarter brass gallery above a rectangular mirror plate, flanked by gilt bronze pierced foliate scrolled supports, over a finely coloured amboyna and banded top above cut brass inlaid frieze drawer decorated with anthemion and flower head motif. The dual tapering scroll supports with palmette lappet surmounts and cut brass inlay terminate on gilt bronze claw feet, flanking a later large mirror plate to the rear, raised on a inverted breakfront plinth base edged with gilt bonze beading. Formerly in the collection of Sir William Whitfield. This elegant Regency pier table is a superb example with its fine quality mounts and distinctive amboyna veneers which are rarely found on furniture of this period. The condition is excellent, having the most wonderful colour and patination to the finest cuts of amboyna that would have been available, during the early 19th century this veneer was thought to be worth more in its weight than gold. This table would have almost certainly been especially commissioned, further research maybe undertaken to find a comparative example and insight to a potential maker. As such pieces in amboyna are far rarer, an example of pier table has yet to be found, but an amboyna sofa table with extremely similar brass inlay and form can be seen in Clifford Musgrave’s book Regency Furniture, published by Faber and Faber in 1961, plate 63. It is from the Royal Collection and the caption includes ‘made about 1816 for Clarement,’ (Claremont) ‘ Esher, Surrey, home of the Princess Charlotte...