A PAIR O F G E O R G E II G I L T W O O D S I D E T A B L E S
An extremely fine pair of George II giltwood side tables in the manner of William Kent,with dark green marble tops with sienna borders, the fluted frieze carved with acanthus and with a patera at each corner, with magnificent pierced apron formed of boldly carved foliate scrolls centred at the front with a garland of densely carved flowers, raised on scroll form legs with acanthus, guilloche and scale carving and hung on the inside edges with swags of fruit and flowers. English, circa 1740 The marble tops replaced Height: 3274 in / 83 cm Width: 4IV4 in / 106 cm Depth: 24V2 in / 62 cm William Kent (1684-1748), architect, painter and designer, was essentially a great interior decorator w h o made a huge impact
on the furniture of his age. This splendid pair of tables is indicative of his style and the stool overleaf, one of a set supplied to H a m p t o n Court, is almost certainly designed by him. After ten years studying in Italy and under the patronage of Lord Burlington, he brought his own interpretation of the earlier Italian baroque to some of England's greatest houses, creating furniture in harmony with their interiors. In addition to Lord Burlington's own Chiswick House, some of Kent's greatest work can be seen today at Houghton Hall and Holkham Hall in Norfolk, at Chatsworth in Derbyshire and at Kensington Palace and Hampton Court Palace. Kent was able to reinterpret and reduce the monumental stonework forms of Italianate architecture into items of furniture commensurate to room settings. Drawing upon the antique, he incorporated classical motifs into his own architectural
vocabulary, thus creating a sumptuous combination of the two. His great pier tables and chairs speak of the fountains of Rome, often adorned as they are with marine motifs, alluding to the cult of Poseidon. Here the legs of the tables are bold volutes in the form of strapwork, carved throughout with fish scales. The scroll form supports of the stool are similarly scale carved and centered on both sides by a large scallop shell, symbolic of Aphrodite, or Venus, born of the sea. These particular tables are also interesting in that they show early indications of the emerging rococo style, with their intricate and densely carved wreaths of flowerheads flanked by scrolling leaves, still symmetric but giving way to a slightly lighter and more naturalistic look and creating a foil to the overall architectural form.