A George III mahogany decagonal breakfast table, circa 1765-75, attributed to Thomas Chippendale

This rare and remarkable breakfast table, with its ten-sided segmented top of striking flamed mahogany veneers, can be attributed to the St. Martin’s Lane workshop of Thomas Chippendale (d. 1779). The table shares some similarities with his more commonly known model for a tripod tea table which Christopher Gilbert describes as one of Chippendale’s ‘most popular occasional table design types’. These smaller examples typically have segmented hexagonal tops on slender baluster shaped pedestal with similarly profiled legs and scrolled feet, although presented in several variants (see Gilbert, C., The Life and Work of Thomas Chippendale, 1978, Vol 1, pp. 256-257). Chippendale supplied tables of this type to some of his most relevant patrons, such as Sir Lawrence Dundas at 19 Arlington Street, London, where he supplied one table; three further tables to Edward Lascelles at Harewood House, and also one table supplied to Ninian Home at Paxton House (see Sotheby’s London, Treasures, 9 July 2014, lot 46).

The present breakfast table varies from the majority of this group, being of a much larger scale, with a boldly carved columnar stem and having inward scrolling feet. It does however share the gothic trefoil motif which has been carved into the cabriole legs and which is so often a feature on the smaller tea tables. The choice of exceptional timbers, the sophistication of design, attention to detail and quality of craftsmanship - such as the shaped and chamfered block of the stem - further support the attribution to Chippendale.