This side table stands upon four tall, gently sweeping cabriole legs that terminate in elegantly sculpted claw feet. The facade, containing a large and a small drawer, features strong curves that carry through in the table’s sides. The drawers are lockable, with each featuring two pulls and a keyplate. The overhanging walnut root-veneered top follows the table’s contours and emphasises its typically Rococo appearance. The piece’s pronounced contours are emphasised by exceptionally elegant carvings along the tabletop’s edges and the forward-facing knees.
This table was undoubtedly created in the Netherlands around 1745, although it also displays clear English influences. The oak core and the walnut root veneer are typically Dutch; at this point in history, mahogany was already much-used in England. However, the placement of the keyholes at the upper side of the drawers, the pronounced shape of the legs, as well as the shape and material of the brass fittings all evidence a strong English influence.
Clearly, the close political and trade ties between England and the Netherlands from the time of William and Mary on (1682-1702) were one of the factors in the mutual influence that the Dutch and English furniture-making industries had on each other. However, contrary to long-held beliefs, Dutch furniture makers continued to be strongly influenced by their English conterparts after this period had passed – and this was still the case in the first half of the eighteenth century. In fact, from 1711 onwards, cabinet makers in the Hague were required to craft an “English cabinet” as a masterpiece to be admitted to the cabinet maker’s guild.
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