Pier table c.1825-6
Oak, ebony, marble, gilded pine, gilt bronze | 99.1 x 166.0 x 79.4 cm (whole object) | RCIN 2595
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Rectangular table of oak, gilt wood, bronze and marble. Fitted with black marble top with central scene of birds in flower and branch border. Veneered with ebony and with frieze of rosettes and anthemions. Rests on four pairs of lyre-shaped supports and ebony base. Inlaid Italian marble table tops were considered as works of art in their own right and often sold without stands or supports. For this example, the firm of Morel and Seddon created a gilt wood stand in the French Empire style. The table was intended for the new Crimson Drawing Room at Windsor Castle, which contained several other pieces of furniture decorated with hardstones.
Provenance
Part of the group of furniture and furnishings supplied between 1827 and 1829 to King George IV by the partnership of Morel and Seddon. The pietra dura panel was already in the King's possession; it was delivered to Morel & Seddon on 23 December 1826. The table is almost certainly that described in no. 84 of Morel & Seddon's ledger and it was made to accommodate the panel which was repolished and repaired. The table was intended for Room 188, the Large Drawing Room (now the Crimson Drawing Room) at Windsor Castle; by 1866 the table was at Buckingham Palace in Room 241.
Nicholas Morel had formerly worked for The Prince of Wales, later George IV, at Carlton House and the Royal Pavilion at Brighton. Subsequently, he was commissioned to design and furnish the newly built apartments designed by Sir Jeffry Wyattville (1766-1840) for the King at Windsor Castle. In order to fulfil the contract he entered into partnership with George Seddon III whose family had large and long established furniture workshops in Aldersgate Street in the City of London.
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Creator(s)
(furniture maker)(nationality)Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Oak, ebony, marble, gilded pine, gilt bronze
Measurements
99.1 x 166.0 x 79.4 cm (whole object)
Category
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