An important and rare George IV rosewood, burr maple and scagliola top circular center table circa 1825

The top with 'The rests (?) of an Egyptian Temple painted by Terroni (Terrsini?) brothers of Leghorn in Tuscany in the year 1821'; the banding with two Royal cyphers of GR / IV alternating with the Royal coat of arms of George IV.

By repute, descended through the Macartney-Filgate family, Stedalt, Co. Meath, Ireland
With Mallett Antiques, London, 2007 (illustrated in the Mallett Catalogue, 2007)

Overall good condition; the scagliola top in good condition with two thin infilled age cracks to the left side running diagonally in from the edge approximately 9 and 10 inches in length respectively; some minor age cracks to veneers; the base in good condition with some minor nicks and wear to veneers and with rubbing and wear to feet. Once caster stamped COPE'S PATENT; however may be a replacement.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The present table is interesting in that it not only is signed by the artists the Terroni Brothers from Livorno or Leghorn in Northern Italy, but it also incorporates the Royal Cypher of George IV as well as his coat of arms.  The top must have been a specific commission as it included the British Royal insignia possibly made as a gift from the government or King to a subject.

The base of this table is very similar to tables by the Dublin firm of Mack, Williams and Gibton and is part of a group of Regency tables with scagliola tops depicting landscapes found in various Irish collections including a table with similar top centered by a capriccio sold at Christie’s, New York, April 25, 2008, lot 79 possibly from the collection of the 11^th Viscount Kilmorey  for Mourne Park, Kilkeel, Co. Down; another table was sold at Christie’s, House Sale of Adare Manor, June 9-10, 1982, lot 302 from the collection of the Countess of Dunraven.  Another table, with similar scagliola top also made in Livorno, sold at Christie’s, New York, November 23, 2010, lot 429.  This table is related to a group of scagliola tops depicting classical landscapes within leafy border made in Tuscany in the first half of the 19^th century in the Bianchi Collection, Florence (illustrated, A.M Massinelli, Scagliola: L’artre della pietra di luna, Rome, 1997, pp. 70-73, pl. 49-51).  Another large table with views of Rome on a goncala alves base sold at Christie’s, New York, June 11, 2010, lot 10 ($80,500).  Another similar scagliola table top attributed to Pietro Della Valle, a scagliola artist working in Livorno in the second quarter of the 19^th century is in the Collection at the Villa della Petraia. (illustrated, Enrico Colle, Italian Empire Furniture, Furnishings and Interior Design from 1800-1843, New York, 1998, p. 220, no. 73.)

Livorno or Leghorn as it was known by the British was a center of Scagliola production in Italy from the beginning of the 19^th century, achieving great production under the Della Valla brothers and other scagliolist families by the 1830s.  The Terroni brothers appear to be unrecorded masters producing Scagliola works a decade before artists like the Della Valla brothers and their work is closely related and might have even inspired the work of scagliola artists of the mid 19^th century.  As a major port city on the north west coast of Italy, Livorno was the first place British Grand tourists would land, or was the port from which they left Italy after their grand tour.  After the Napoleonic wars, British travelers were able to travel through France, leaving from Marseilles and arriving in Livorno, opposed from entering Italy from Switzerland.

Scagliola has always been prized by British grand tourists.  In the 18^th century most of the scagliola bought by the English was from Rome, Sicily or Florence three centers of art whose achievements in the use of decorations mainly derived from antiquity.  These centers often used prints of classical sculpture and vase painting by artists like Piranesi as sources for their subject matter, the present table being painted with an Egyptian capriccio.

Technique

Scagliola is produced by reducing a mineral stone, selenite, to a powder and mixing it with natural colored pigments and animal glue. The original drawing is transferred with a pounce on a marble or scagliola slab, and it is then engraved with a mallet and chisel. The colored mixtures fill the engraved drawing and are leveled with water and pumice stone. Then the work is engraved again with a burin to obtain other different colors and shades.