A PAIR OF GEORGE III MAHOGANY, TULIPWOOD BANDED AND MARQUETRY PEMBROKE TABLES

This sophisticated pair of Pembroke tables, with their spirited neoclassical ornamentation, are undoubtedly inspired by the designs of Robert Adam (1728-92) as promoted in his Works in Architecture, published in parts from 1773. The marquetry motifs employed here recall the works of John Linnell who worked with and was undoubtedly greatly influenced by Adam. The two collaborated first at Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire, for the 1st Lord Scarsdale in the 1760s and later commissions included Syon House and Alnwick Castle for the Duke of Northumberland, and Osterley Park for Francis, Robert and Mrs. Sarah Child, to name just some of the more notable patrons. A comparable Pembroke table, with similarly elegant border of oval cartouches, possibly by John Linnell dating circa 1770 was sold in the Collection of Bernard and Carole Apter, Christie’s London, 19 January 2021, lot 301.