A REGENCY BRASS-INLAID AND BRASS-MOUNTED ROSEWOOD, EBONY, BRONZE-PAINTED AND SPECIMEN MARBLE-TOPPED CENTRE TABLE

The unusual palmette mounts on the drawer are identical to those on a pair of rosewood side cabinets sold from Four British Collections, Christie’s King Street, 5 June 2008, lot 68, and a pair of rosewood pier tables sold from Two Late Regency Collectors, Christie’s King Street, 9 June 2005, lot 48. Those lots were firmly attributed to James Newton on the basis of their similarity to three chiffoniers labelled by Newton sold from The Collection of Maureen, Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava, Christie’s King Street, 25 March 1999, lots 320 and 321.

James Newton (fl. 1781-1821) of Wardour Street enjoyed a stellar clientele that included Matthew Boulton at Soho House, Lord Brownlow at Belton House, the Earl of Jersey at Osterley Park, the Earl of Exeter at Burghley House and Lord Breadalbane at Taymouth Castle. His style was strongly influenced by Thomas Hope, and he appears to have had early access to Hope’s drawings. On the present table, the brass-inlaid band of alternating palmettes and anthemia is a recurrent motif of Hope’s Household Furniture (1807). Two specimen-marble-topped tables labelled by Newton are shown in G. Ellwood, “James Newton”, Furniture History, 1995, pp.129-205.