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1 of 253523 objects
Work table c.1820
Mahogany, ebonised and partly-gilt, pine, maplewood, satinwood, pearwod, ebony | 98 x 49 cm (whole object) | RCIN 254
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Globular work-table of pine, veneered with mahogany and inlaid in the upper segment of the globe with satinwood medallions which are painted with the signs of the zodiac. The lower segment is supported on tripod feet, each fitted at the top with a satyr's head of carved and gilded pearwood. Interior fittings of satinwood, maplewood and ebony.
The table was almost certainly bought by HM Queen Mary between 1921 and 1931. It is possible she was moved to buy it on account of her ancestor, Queen Charlotte, who owned a table of a very similar description.
It was suggested in 1963 that this work-table was made by the London firm of cabinet-makers Morgan & Sanders, who specialsied in making metamorphic furniture, and belonged to Queen Charlotte (James Parker, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, November 1963, pp.124-32). Though this London firm undoubtedly made furniture for Queen Charlotte, including a piece of furniture of this type, there is no firm evidence to prove that this table is certainly that owned by Queen Charlotte. When Queen Mary purchased the table, she believed it to be English and made c.1780. In fact, it is likely that its place and approximate date of manufacture is Vienna, around 1820.Provenance
Acquired by Queen Mary between 1921 and 1931.
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Creator(s)
(nationality)Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Mahogany, ebonised and partly-gilt, pine, maplewood, satinwood, pearwod, ebony
Measurements
98 x 49 cm (whole object)
Alternative title(s)
sewing table
Place of Production
Austria