Pier table
possibly John Bladwell (fl.1725 - 1768)
Category
Furniture
Date
circa 1750
Materials
Originally carved, white painted and gilded wood, Portor marble top - fragments retained
Measurements
91.5 x 213.4 cm; 88.9 cm (Height)
Place of origin
London
Collection
Uppark House and Garden, West Sussex
NT 137636.1
Summary
Pier table destroyed by the fire in 1989 and replaced by a copy supplied in 2013 by Peter Thuring, see (NT 2900048). Originally one of a pair of carved pier tables, circa 1750, gilded and white painted, each with a Portor marble top above an open frieze carved with scrolling leaves and flower swags, centred by a shell shaped cartouche, the four massive zoomorphic legs headed by a curved acanthus feet and terminating in lion's feet. It is thought that this pair was commissioned by Sir Matthew Fetherstonhaugh and were intended for the Saloon where Repton's bookcases have been placed circa 1815. They might have been supplied by John Bladwell (fl.1725-1768), established in Covent Garden, who provided carved giltwood furniture to Uppark between 1750-60 as his name occurs several times in Sir Matthew's accounts books.
Provenance
Acquired by Matthew Fetherstonhaugh (1714-1774); by descent; given to the National Trust in 1954 with the house and some of its contents by Admiral the Hon. Sir Herbert Meade-Fetherstonhaugh. Destroyed by the fire in 1989, a replacement copy supplied in 2013 (NT 2900048).
Makers and roles
possibly John Bladwell (fl.1725 - 1768), carver possibly John Bladwell (fl.1725 - 1768), gilder