A GEORGE III MAHOGANY CONCERTINA-ACTION TEA TABLE

This concertina-action tea-table expertly combines the French 'picturesque' fashion with Antique elements in the contemporary 'Roman' style of the 1750s. The beribboned reeds bind its top in the Italian manner and Antique flutes enrich its frame and truss-scrolled legs. These distinctive characteristics often feature on pieces attributed to the London cabinet-makers and upholsterers Paul Saunders in partnership with George Smith Bradshaw (d.1812), established around 1751, which actively supplied the upper strata of society. A very similar table, probably supplied for Tyttenhanger and illustrated in The Dictionary of English Furniture (1954, vol. III, p. 200, fig. 29) was sold at Christie’s, New York, 19 October 2000, lot 40 ($314,000, including premium)

Ultimately the partnership was not long lived, being dissolved in 1758. However, it is interesting to note that upon their separation, Bradshaw continued at his workshops in Greek Street, having taken on John Mayhew as his apprentice in 1756, while Saunders moved to Soho Square, working in partnership with William Ince.