This mid-18th century carved centre table with characteristic Irish flourishes made £169,250 at Bonhams. (Click on image to enlarge).
AN Irish George III carved mahogany centre table made £169,250 at Bonhams in London. Bonhams catalogued the table as possibly Irish but the view of the Irish trade was that it is definitely an Irish piece and it sold accordingly. The table has a shell motif, scrolled apron and foliate carving to the legs, all strongly suggestive of an Irish mid 18th century origin.
In a catalogue footnote Bonhams observed: ” two elements in the design of the table here do not appear to be obviously paralleled on any tables securely identified as Irish. These are the gadrooned carving to the perimeter of the top and the presence of claw and ball feet. A possible exception to the latter is a carved mahogany tea table, in the collection of the Winterthur Museum, Delaware, with similar claw and ball feet, previously thought to be American and now possibly considered to be Irish”.
The table sold at Bonhams shared characteristics with tables illustrated in a 2007 book on Irish furniture by The Knight of Glin and James Peil.