The Strawberry Hill Table.
A superb colonial ebony side table formerly in the collection of Strawberry Hill
Coromandel coast, probably Masulipatnam, circa 1650- 1680
The table, of rectangular shape, consists of a case and a stand. The case features a simple top bordered by gadrooning and contains two front-facing drawers with knob handles. The drawer fronts and the case’s sides and back are adorned with scrolling foliate patterns. The stand is supported by four legs and includes an apron and a box stretcher. Both the upper section of the stand and the leg tops are decorated with scrolling foliate motifs. The intricately carved and pierced apron showcases a central winged cherub’s head, lions, mythical creatures, and parrots. The legs are twist-turned and rest on turned disc feet.
H. 76.3 x W. 94.5 x D. 67.5 cm
Provenance:
- Strawberry Hill House, Collection of Horace Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford
(1717-97), Twickenham, until 1842 (acquired between 1759 and 1763)
- George Robins, A Catalogue of the Classic Contents of Strawberry Hill collected by Horace Walpole, London, Covent Garden, 13 May 1842, lot 77
- Eaton Hall, Robert Grosvenor, the 1st Marquess of Westminster (1767-1845)
- The Dukes of Westminster, by descent (until 1960)
- Perez & Co., London
- Cary Welch, London (acquired from the above in c. 1960-61)
Literature:
- G. Robins, A Catalogue of the Classic Contents of Strawberry Hill collected by Horace Walpole, 25 April - 24 May 1842, p.176, lot 77
- W. Chaffers, Catalogue of the Museum of Ornamental Art at the Art Treasures Exhibition, Wrexham, 1876, no.143
- Ian Kennedy, “The ‘Wrexham Art Treasures’ exhibition of 1876” in: The British Art Journal, Vol. 19, No. 3, Winter 2018/2019, pp. 80-86
- A. Jaffer, Furniture from British India and Ceylon, London, 2001, p. 139
Exhibited:
Art Treasures Exhibition, Wrexham, England, 1876
Walpole purchased his first set of ebony tables and chairs in 1759, which were then used to decorate the Holbein Chamber at Strawberry Hill, as detailed by Jaffer in 2001 (pages 130, 138-9). Walpole mentioned this particular table in his 1784 description of Strawberry Hill (Walpole 1784, p.43), and the Holbein Chamber was depicted in a 1788 watercolour by artist John Carter (now housed in the Lewis Walpole Library at Yale University). In the painting, the table is visible on the left side, adjacent to the matching chairs (referenced in Jaffer 2001, p.130; it is noted that the table in the painting appears to have bulky feet, unlike our table; however, upon closer examination, it appears the lower sections of the present table’s four legs have been trimmed, explaining the difference in appearance). The Strawberry Hill curator, Dr Silvia Davoli, has confirmed the present table belonged to the house collection.
Coromandel coast, probably Masulipatnam, circa 1650- 1680
The table, of rectangular shape, consists of a case and a stand. The case features a simple top bordered by gadrooning and contains two front-facing drawers with knob handles. The drawer fronts and the case’s sides and back are adorned with scrolling foliate patterns. The stand is supported by four legs and includes an apron and a box stretcher. Both the upper section of the stand and the leg tops are decorated with scrolling foliate motifs. The intricately carved and pierced apron showcases a central winged cherub’s head, lions, mythical creatures, and parrots. The legs are twist-turned and rest on turned disc feet.
H. 76.3 x W. 94.5 x D. 67.5 cm
Provenance:
- Strawberry Hill House, Collection of Horace Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford
(1717-97), Twickenham, until 1842 (acquired between 1759 and 1763)
- George Robins, A Catalogue of the Classic Contents of Strawberry Hill collected by Horace Walpole, London, Covent Garden, 13 May 1842, lot 77
- Eaton Hall, Robert Grosvenor, the 1st Marquess of Westminster (1767-1845)
- The Dukes of Westminster, by descent (until 1960)
- Perez & Co., London
- Cary Welch, London (acquired from the above in c. 1960-61)
Literature:
- G. Robins, A Catalogue of the Classic Contents of Strawberry Hill collected by Horace Walpole, 25 April - 24 May 1842, p.176, lot 77
- W. Chaffers, Catalogue of the Museum of Ornamental Art at the Art Treasures Exhibition, Wrexham, 1876, no.143
- Ian Kennedy, “The ‘Wrexham Art Treasures’ exhibition of 1876” in: The British Art Journal, Vol. 19, No. 3, Winter 2018/2019, pp. 80-86
- A. Jaffer, Furniture from British India and Ceylon, London, 2001, p. 139
Exhibited:
Art Treasures Exhibition, Wrexham, England, 1876
Walpole purchased his first set of ebony tables and chairs in 1759, which were then used to decorate the Holbein Chamber at Strawberry Hill, as detailed by Jaffer in 2001 (pages 130, 138-9). Walpole mentioned this particular table in his 1784 description of Strawberry Hill (Walpole 1784, p.43), and the Holbein Chamber was depicted in a 1788 watercolour by artist John Carter (now housed in the Lewis Walpole Library at Yale University). In the painting, the table is visible on the left side, adjacent to the matching chairs (referenced in Jaffer 2001, p.130; it is noted that the table in the painting appears to have bulky feet, unlike our table; however, upon closer examination, it appears the lower sections of the present table’s four legs have been trimmed, explaining the difference in appearance). The Strawberry Hill curator, Dr Silvia Davoli, has confirmed the present table belonged to the house collection.
