ATTRIBUTED TO EDWARD WILLIAM GODWIN (FOR COLLINSON AND LOCK) | Rare Seven-Legged Centre Table

Andrew McIntosh Patrick

Art Furniture from Designs by E.W. Godwin, F.S.A., London, 1877, plate 12 for a related eight-legged example
Lionel Lambourne, The Aesthetic Movement, London, 1996, p. 159, illustrated
Susan Weber Soros, The Secular Furniture of E.W. Godwin, New Haven, 2001, pp.149, 151-152 for related examples, p. 150, cat no. 214, illustrated

Overall in very good condition. The wooden surfaces with minor scattered scuffs, scratches and shallow indentations consistent with age and gentle use. The top surface with a few darker shallow indentations, the largest measuring approximately 3cm and are not visually disruptive. The underside top surface mount with a hairline crack which radiates across the surface, is stable and not visible when the table is upright. One leg with a minor hairline crack in a 'u' shape which measures approximately 2 x 2.5 cm, is stable and not visually disruptive. This is the only known seven leg example of this model and retains excellent provenance.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present lot is the only known seven-legged version of Godwin’s eight-legged design for William Watt. As Soros notes: ‘Its reeded edge, turned decoration, and slightly splayed legs all point to the work of Godwin.’ Its lack of extraneous ornament, proto-modernist form and overall decorative qualities come purely from the interplay of its minimal and refined structural elements. Godwin remarked that ‘It is essential that the common objects of everyday life should be quiet, simple and unobtrusive in their beauty’. A pencil and gouache drawing for a related eight-legged version is in the permanent collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London under accession number E.494-1963.