Description

The exact pair to this table is at Lotherton Hall, Yorkshire. It was purchased in Italy in 1925 by Leeds Art Collection Fund and illustrated here.  Although clearly these tables were made as a pair, we do not know when they were separated though this table was purchased in the UK in the last 10 years

The bold design of the frame is consistant with Roman carving of the first half of the eighteenth century. Large scrolls and curves tying the legs and stretcher together without the use of fine detailed carving, form a continuation of the Baroque Roman style which triumphed during the seventeenth century. This taste was copied across Europe and became known by English Grand Tourists as ‘in the Roman style’, forming the basis of the interior decoration advanced by the Palladians, Lord Burlington and Wm Kent, for example at Wanstead House, Houghton Hall and at Burlington’s own Chiswick House.

The great advantage to the Roman cabinetmakers, was the availability of the very best marble workers and in particular, craftsmen able to make veneered tops of scarce coloured, marbles and stones. The red jasper on this table is from Palermo in Sicily and is known as a ‘soft Sicilian jasper’ to distinguish from the glassy ‘agate jaspers’ from the same area. The Roman marble workers had the largest collections of rare stones to chose from as well as the ability, as in our table, to slice and polish small and rare pieces and to arrange them into eyecatching designs onto a supporting slab. The slight softness of the jasper allows a beautiful deep sheen to this slab, bringing out the striking colours and accentuating the contrasting bands of colour.