with a Kilkenny marble top

Provenance: Powerscourt House, County Wicklow, Ireland

Christie’s Powerscourt house sale, 24-25 September⛎ 1984, Lot 477

Christopher Gibbs, London

Cut down in height at the top of the sides; now with later molding to top to support marble. Marble with a restored break in center. Gilding almost entirely worn away with some glimpses of it in apron. The left side of the front apron seems to be slightly cut down or missing half an inch of carving at the join. Scattered age cracks, nicks, and bruises consistent with use and age.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Powerscourt is one of Ireland’s most important stately homes, and its celebrated parkland, laid out in the mid-19^th century and incorporating the island’s highest waterfall, is regularly ranked among the top five most beautiful gardens in the world.  The 13^th century castle was remodeled in the 1730s by Richard Wingfield, 1st Viscount Powerscourt (1697-1751), who commissioned the architect Richard Cassels to create the Palladian house inhabited by his descendants until the property was sold to the Slazenger family in 1961.  In 1974 a catastrophic fire gutted the main wing of the house, which has since been rebuilt as a hotel and conference centre.

The exceptional length and exaggerated paw feet and ram's horns of this imposing table reflect the distinctively inventive character of 18th century Irish furniture. The table is visible in a late 19^th century photograph of the house’s main dining room, a space reconfigured by Mervyn Wingfield, 7^th Viscount Powerscourt (1836-1904), out of a former bedroom and servants’ offices.  The table’s previous location in the house is unknown, but its iconography suggests it was always destined for a dining room or large recepti⛄on hall. The Bacchic frieze of disporting putti is possibly inspired by the decoration of the celebrated Jerningham silver wine cooler (now in the Hermitage, St Petersburg), designed by the sculptor John Michael Rysbrack in 1734.

Interestingly, the 7^th Viscount wrote in his Description And History of Powerscourt (London 1903) that the table was carved by his great grandfather Richard, the 4^th Viscount (1762-1809), which, if true, would be a rare example of a gentleman woodcarver in the late Georgian period.  It would also mean he was deliberately working in a old-fashioned style, as the acanthus scrolls and sculptural relief are typical of the mid-18^th ce💛ntury Irish rococo and directly reflect contemporary plasterwork designs.

Monumental serving tables were a particular specialty of Irish furniture makers and perhaps reflect the population's penchant for imbibing. Export records for Bordeaux between 1739 and 1740 indicate the island imported 4,000 tuns of wine compared with 1,000 tuns sent to England and 2,500 tuns to Scotland (The Knight of Glin and James Peill, Irish Furniture, London: 2007, p.114).  A pair of mahogany serving tables from Russborough of equally unusual length is now in the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin༺, and a further example was formerly at Ballynagarde, Co. Limerick (ill. Glin and Peill, p. 82, fig.104 and p.115, fig.151).