Chess table, japanned papier mâché chess table with painted and inlaid decoration; English, 1830-1850

Tip-top chess table of japanned wood and papier-mâché with painted and inlaid decoration. Three scrolled legs are attached to the pedestal near its base by a metal fixture, the legs have flat sides and shaped tops and bottoms terminating in scrolled feet; the tops and sides of each leg are decorated with scrolling gilt acanthus leaves. The pedestal is of turned wood and terminates at its bottom in a turned pendant knob also of wood; the legs join the pedestal just above the pendant knob where the pedestal is of cylindrical form; above this there are two sets of mouldings of varying thicknesses with another cylindrical section between them which is decorated with gilt strapwork; above this is a round knob also decorated with strapwork with a single moulding above it, from here the rest of the pedestal rises up as a plain column. At the top of the pedestal is a square wooden block, this is hinged to another larger wooden block which in turn is attached to the underside of the table top. A brass catch is screwed to this second wooden block and is used to secure the table top horizontally or vertically by pushing the catch into the appropriate holes located in the first wooden block. The table top itself is of papier-mâché, it is oval with two curved indentations to its edges which correspond with each of the four corners of the chess board inlaid into the table top. The rim of the table top is stepped and drops down below the bottom of the main body of the table top (this can be seen from the underside), it is inlaid with small irregularly shaped pieces of mother of pearl andpainted with gilt tendrils some of which overlap from the rim onto the flat surface of the table either side of each corner of the chess board. The decoration of the main area of the table top is taken up by a chessboard which is made up of 32 inlaid squares of mother of pearl, each of square is made up of four triangular piecs of mother-of-pearl forming a japanned X across the square into which irregular fragments of mother of pearl have been inlaid.

The D.E.C. Barenbridge Gift

Papier-mâché, literally 'chewed paper', is an ancient technique thought to have been invented by the Chinese. It became popular in Britain during the 18th century when the term was first coined in English (whereas in French the term was not recognized until the 20th century). At first it was used in pulp form for architectural mouldings and frames. As technology progressed a technique of moulding laminated sheets of paper was developed. The durable waterproof nature of this material meant it could be used for anything from trays, boxes and screens to chairs, pianos and even carriages.

This chess table was made when japanned ware was the height of fashion. Unlike wood, papier-mâché was not prone to warping, which could cause the painted decoration of an object to crack or its inlay to lift. It was therefore ideal as a support for japanned decoration as used on this table.

W.46-1918