An Irish George III satinwood, mahogany and fruitwood marquetry D-shaped pier table in the manner of William Moore of Dublin circa 1780

James Williams Antique Works of Art, 324 Lawnmarket, Edinburgh
Acquired from the above by Mrs. Ronald Gumley, 17 Manor Place, Edinburgh, March 16, 1953

The top with minor warpage, the underside with minor routing to correct warpage; the top with repaired crack to the center with minor inpainting in places; the penwork to the feathers of the fan with some wear; overall with usual scratches and wear but with a nice waxed surface. Good proportions and nice marquetry; the banding to the top with remnants of gesso from old French polishing.
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 inlaid fan to the top of this table as well as the pendant foliage to the legs and simple arched inlay to the frieze is similar to the work of the Irish cabinet-maker William Moore of Dublin.  A single console table attributed to Moore with similar frieze sold Christie’s, New York, April 22, 1999, lot 75 and another pair of tables with similarly inlaid friezes was sold by Sotheby's London, 25 February 1994, lot 110.

As The Knight of Glin and James Peill remark, 'by far the most important cabinet-maker' (in Ireland) 'who reflected the new taste for neo-classicism and the Adam style was William Moore' (Glin and Peill, op. cit. pp. 162-166).  Possibly the son of William Moore, a cabinet maker recorded at Inns Quay and Charles Street, who died in 1759, he appears to have attended the School of Landscape and Ornament Drawing at the Dublin Society of Drawing Schools in 1768, after which he was employed in the workshop of John Mayhew and William Ince, before returning to Ireland at some time before December 1777. The firm of Mayhew and Ince is recorded in London between 1758 and 1804 and, although their actual work is not well documented, they were 'the most significant......of the major London cabinet makers of the 18^th century' (Beard & Gilbert, The Dictionary of English Furniture Makers 1660-1840, 1986, pp. 589-597).

In 1782 he placed an advertisement in Faulkener's, Dublin Journal, addressed 'To the Nobility and Gentry' informing 'those that may want inlaid work'....that....'he has brought the manufacture of such perfection to be able to sell for almost one half its original prices; as the greatest demand is for pier Tables, he has just finished in the newest taste a great variety of patterns, sizes and prices......card tables of new construction...also small pier tables with every article in the inlaid way'. In a very similar advertisement in the Dublin Evening Post he also mentions 'his long experience at Messrs. Mayhew and Ince'.

The Knight of Glin and James Peill, Irish Furniture, New Haven, 2007