Lot 241: A WILLIAM AND MARY WALNUT STOOL

Possibly circa 1690, more probably circa 1820 The rectangular padded seat upholstered in 18th century Beauvais floral tapestry with scene from Aesop's Fables, the shaped edge hung with silk tassles, on floral garland-hung volute legs with scrolled tips joned by a molded X-stretcher, on leaf tip-carved square feet and sunken brass casters stamped COPE'S PATENT 161/4in. (41.5cm.) high, 213/4in. (55cm.) wide, 19in. (48.5cm.) deep NOTES The S-scrolled form of the legs on this table relate it to a group of late 17th and early 18th century seat furniture, much of which is attributed to the workshops of Thomas Roberts. Roberts succeeded Richard Price as the chief supplier of bed frames, seat furniture and fire-screens to the Royal household in 1686. He is listed at 'The Royal Chair', Marylebone Street, London as joiners, chair-makers and carvers (G. Beard and C. Gilbert, The Dictionary of English Furniture Makers 1660-1840, 1986, p. 752). His work often reflects the designs of Daniel Marot, the ‚migr‚ architect to William III, whose influence was considerable in both England and The Low Countries. A table, then in the collection of S. Campbell Cory, Esq., illustrated in P. Macquoid, A History of English Furniture: The Age of Walnut, 1905, p.91, fig.84, displays a very similar base to the present lot. While the carving and construction on this stool are convincing for a 17th century attribution, both the table in Macquoid and the stool are fitted with sunken brass casters which if not later fitted would attest to an early nineteenth century date when 'jacobethan' styles were first revived.