Provenance: Almost certainly acquired by Hugh Lowther, the 5th Earl of Lonsdale for his mansion on Carlton House Terrace, London
Subsequently acquired by Sir Robert Cooke, MP, for Athelhampton House, Dorchester, Dorset.
These outstanding console tables constructed from early 18th century elements may be compared to the rampe d’escalier installed on the main staircase of Hertford House by Sir Richard Wallace in 1874. This balustrade was originally in the Hôtel de Nevers in Paris, the home of the proposed Banque Royale, acquired by the Scottish entrepreneur and financier, John Law, in 1719. The interlaced “L”s on the Hertford House staircase are similar to those on the present lot and may represent the emblem of Louis XV. The balustrade was much altered for its insertion into Hertford House but, like these remarkable console tables, it remains one of the finest examples of French iron and brasswork to have survived from the Regence period (1715-23).
The wrought iron elements of these tables may be attributed to Guillaume Cressart, a notable iron worker, who has also been proposed as the maker of the rampe d’escalier at Hertford House.
To underline the quality of the present tables, they may also be compared to a principal rampe d’escalier in the Palace of Versailles.
