Collection: Property of a Prominent Washington DC Collection

In the manner of Thomas Chippendale, circa 1760

Each hinged, shaped serpentine top with astragal parquetry inlay opening to a later gilt-tooled green leather-lined interior, above a conforming frieze, on acanthus carved cabriole legs and scroll feet.

Height 29 1/2 inches (74.9 cm), width 38 inches (96.6 cm), depth 18 7/8 inches (48 cm).

Provenance: Florian Papp, Inc., New York.

Literature:

Rita Reif, “Antiques: Some Prized Possessions,” New York Times Magazine, April 15, 1984.

This elegant pair of mahogany card tables exhibits stylistic features associated with Thomas Chippendale, one of London’s foremost cabinetmakers. Their design closely relates to a bookcase recorded in Chippendale’s accounts, supplied to the Earl of Dumfries in 1759. Believed to be a stock item favored by the Earl, the bookcase—also functioning as a clothes press—shares distinctive elements with the tables, including the rare astragal parquetry and fine veneers adorning their tops. A spider-leg table with a similar motif was offered at Sotheby's London (Important English Furniture and Silver Together with Property from the Estate of The Late Lady Samuel of Wych Cross and a Discerning Eye, Property from a Knightsbridge Apartment), November 18, 2008, lot 28.

Although the Earl of Dumfries was among the few patrons who commissioned Rococo furniture from Chippendale, many clients also purchased ready-made pieces from his stock. These card tables reflect the same curvilinear forms and rich decorative detail that define Chippendale’s craftsmanship.