A Very Fine English Centre Table of Macassar Ebony and Amboyna with

Of outstanding quality, this fine table is more than good enough to have been designed as a piece for one of the international exhibitions of the 19th century but its manufacture predates the establishment of those events. Veneered primarily in highly figured bookmatched macassar ebony, an extremely exotic timber and rarely used in such quantity due to the costs involved, the ebony contrasts with amboyna mouldings and even turned amboyna drawer pulls. The dual end support base, connected with a single low stretcher, has carved corbel detailing and the finely made drawers, with beautiful dovetailing, have locks marked C&C for Cope and Collinson. These are crucial to the dating of the table as many features of the piece suggest a somewhat earlier construction but Cope and Collinson succeeded the firm of Cope and Austin in around 1833 when the newspapers record the dissolution of the former partnership. By 1841 the new firm of Cope and Collinson was advertising in defence of the old Cope and Austin patents and it is likely that the locks on this table were early examples of production marked with the new name.

Estimate:$19,242.12

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