Mahogany breakfast table with two flaps and Chinoiserie fretwork compartment below.

Mahogany breakfast table formed of a rectangular top with two hinged flaps with a knulled border. The open compartments below are closed with lattice work. The whole sits on four straight legs fitted with brass castors.

Bequeathed by Henry L. Florence

This was bequeathed to the Museum by Henry L. Florence, of Prince's Gate, SW7, as part of a collection of 31 piece of furniture (primarily English or French, but with some Asian pieces (W.55-1917 to W.85-1917). See Registered File 16/1351 on Nominal File MA/1/F792/2. There appears to be no earlier history of these tables, although they are of high quality.Henry Louis Florence VD (1843-1916) was an architect and members of the RIBA, serving as Vice-President from 1897 to 1899. He was a Fellow of the Geological Society and a Past Master of the Haberdashers' Company. He served in the Rifle Volunteers from 1871 to 1892 and retired with the rank of Lt. Col. As a young man he had studied in France. He began to practice in 1871, at first in partnership with Lewis Henry Isaacs (1830-1908). Florence designed many public buildings and hotels, mainly in London, and was responsible for the restoration of the Hall at Grays Inn. He was a collector who made monetary bequests to the National Gallery, the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum, in addition to bequeathing many items to the latter museum. He had houses at 9 Princes Gate, South Kensington an at 16 Royal Crescent, Bath, and an office at No. 3 Verulam Buildings, Grays Inn.

There is no earlier information for this piece.

Previously on long-term loan to Valentines Mansion and Garden, Ilford, Redbridge 2009-2014 [RF 2008/536].

This small table was designed for eating breakfast, which in fashionable 18th-century circles was taken in the bedroom. It could be moved around easily on small brass castors and has two hinged flaps to provide more room for the breakfast things. These could be stored in the compartment below after eating, leaving the surface clear for reading or writing. The compartment has a knee-recess on the open side and there is small drawer to store paper and writing equipment. The three-layer plywood fretwork compartment is in the Chinoiserie style fashionable in the 1760s. The cabinet-maker Thomas Chippendale showed a similar table in his book of designs, The Gentleman and Cabinetmaker's Director (published in 1754, with a revised edition in 1762). This may account for the popularity of the design. Several similar examples survive, including another one in the Museum (Museum number W.64-1950).

W.82:1, 2-1917