A pair of George III carved giltwood pier tables with painted satinwood tops circa 1790, in the manner of Seddon, Sons & Shackleton

the tops of bowed breakfront form, each decorated with a central medallion depicting neo-classical figures and putti within ribbon-tied floral swags, the outer pearl beaded borders decorated with ribbons entwined oak leaves surrounded by narrow kingwood bandings and stringing, the fluted friezes on conforming tapering legs with leaf carved capitals and feet joined by pierced stretchers each centered by patera

Probably supplied by Seddon, Sons and Shackleton circa 1790 to Nathaniel Acton for Livermere Park, Suffolk;
Transferred to Shrublands Park, circa 1923 by the 5th Baron de Saumarez following the demolition of Livermere Park;
Thence by descent to the 7th Baron de Saumarez

The design for these tables is derived from a pier table published by Thomas Sheraton in his The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Drawing Book, 1793, pl. 4 (see illustration). Sheraton describes them as 'merely for ornament under a glass, they are generally very light, and the style of finishing them is rich and elegant.  Somet.mes s the tops are solid marble, but most commonly veneered in rich satin, or other valuable wood, with a cross-band on the outside, a border about two inches richly japanned, and a narrow cross-band beyond it, to go all round.  The frames are commonly gold, or white and burnished gold.  Stretching-rails have of late been introduced to these tables, and it must be owned that it is with good effect, as they take off the long appearance of the legs, and make the under part appear more furnished; besides they afford an opportunity of fixing a vase or basket of flowers, which , with their reflection when there is a glass behind, produce a brilliant appearance.'

The offered pair are part of a larger group with very similar painted decoration (often of swags of ribbon-tied flowers against a satinwood reserve) including a pair of pier tables in the Lady Lever Art Gallery, Merseyside and a pair of larger tables sold in the Walter Chrysler sale held at Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, 6-7 May, 1960, lots 529 and 530.  Another pair sold Replica Shoes 's, New York, 19-20 April 2001, lot 544.

Painted furniture of this type is often associated with the Seddon workshop.  Although the other great exponent of painted furniture, George Brookshaw, would appear to have supplied furniture to the family, there is no furniture known to be by him which employs veneers in conjunction with japanned decoration.

The firm of Seddon was founded in the mid-18th century by George Seddon (c. 1727-1801) at Aldergate Street in London.  It rapidly grew in size: in 1783 they were employing nearly 'three hundred of the most capital hands' in London.  In 1786 the workshops were visited by Sophie Van La Roche, who recorded in her journal that, 'Some of the department contains nothing but chairs, sofas, stools of every description, some quite simple, others exquisitely carved and made of all varieties of wood ... while others are occupied by writing tables, cupboards, chests of drawers, charmingly fashioned desks, chest both large and small, work- and toilet-tabels of all manner of wood and patterns, from the simplest and cheapest to the most elegant and expensive'. Between 1788 and 1798 George Seddon's son-in-law, Thomas Shackleton joined the firm which then became known as 'Seddon, Sons and Shackleton'. Despite their stature as one of the leading cabinet makers in the latter part of the 18th century, whose clients included the Empress of Russia, the 5th Duke of Bedford, Lord Howard of Audley End and Lord Mansfield of Kenwood House, few pieces survive which can be associated with these commissions.  Two of the largest groups which survive with their original invoices were supplied to D. Tupper of Hauteville House, Guernsey, and R. Clarke of Bridwell House, Dorset, both of which included satinwood seat furniture and tables painted with flowers and peacock feathers.  These distinctive pieces do allow one to recognise a facet of Seddon's house style, which bears some similarity to the offered lot.