Tripod Table
1740-1745 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Tea tables with tops carved into lobes were fashionable about 1740. In polite society tea was served in the drawing room after dinner, which at that time was eaten in the afternoon. The lady of the house would serve tea to her family or her guests herself. She would use fine silver and porcelain on specially designed tea tables. This one is particularly finely decorated, with inlay of brass and mother of pearl on the top and on the feet. The fashion for using these materials to decorate furniture developed in London from about 1737. Only a small number of workshops practised the technique. It may have been brought to Britain by craftsmen who came to work here from Germany.
On loan to Mompesson House.
On loan to Mompesson House.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Mahogany, decorated with carving and inlay of brass and mother-of-pearl |
| Brief description | English, 1730-40, mahogany and brass, 76/504 Hintz ? |
| Physical description | Tripod table of mahogany, the top carved into ten lobes and inlaid with formal flower heads in brass and mother-of-pearl. Scalloped dished top with cinquefoil centre inlaid with brass wire, brass four-leaved flowers and mother-of-earl husks. The top pivots on a baluster stem, tripod feet ending in formalized claw feet; the upper side of the legs inlaid with engraved brass panels and bell-flowers. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Bequeathed by Claude. D. Rotch |
| Object history | This table was bequeathed by Claude D. Rotch, who also left the Museum a smaller, simpler lobed table, without brass inlay (W.38-1962). In 1965 another brass-inlaid table was left to the Museum by Brigadier Clarke (W.3-1965). Object sampling carried out by Jo Darrah, V&A Science; drawer/slide reference 4/48. |
| Summary | Tea tables with tops carved into lobes were fashionable about 1740. In polite society tea was served in the drawing room after dinner, which at that time was eaten in the afternoon. The lady of the house would serve tea to her family or her guests herself. She would use fine silver and porcelain on specially designed tea tables. This one is particularly finely decorated, with inlay of brass and mother of pearl on the top and on the feet. The fashion for using these materials to decorate furniture developed in London from about 1737. Only a small number of workshops practised the technique. It may have been brought to Britain by craftsmen who came to work here from Germany. On loan to Mompesson House. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.22-1962 |
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| Record created | March 5, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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