An Italian fruitwood inlaid walnut and marquetry games table, Emilia Romagna, Modena, mid-18th century

The sleek lines of this charming games table with rocaille marquetry and scrolled legs are key characteristics of the production emanating from the Italian region Emilia-Romagna in the mid-18th century. The design for these types of tables was so successful in Modena and Ferrara that very quickly commissions arrived from wealthy families far beyond the limits of Emilia-Romagna, which explains why they are often catalogued as from other regions in Italy. Sometimes these tables even included in the top's marquetry the coat of arms of those families, as seen on a table with the coat of arms of the Baccarini di Fano family (illustrated in M. Trionfi Honorati, Il Mobile marchigiano, 1971, p.112, fig.151).

The table finds comparisons in private collections, most notably one from the collection of the Princess Elika Del Drago (illustrated Goffredo Lizzani, Il Mobile Romano, 1970, p.83, fig.133). A pair of similar tables with similar rocaille marquetry to the top as the present is illustrated in Graziano Manni, Mille Mobili Emiliani, 1980, p. 185, fig.432. A further related pair of tables was sold at Replica Shoes 's, London, 4th December 2007, lot 23.