A woman's dressing table with a rectangular body raised on tapering, square-sectioned legs, the whole veneered in harewood, inlaid with floral sprays in a variety of woods and set with brass handles and castros. The dressing table appears to have four drawers but only the lower two are functional, the upper two fronting compartments that are accessed by hinged leaves forming the top.

A woman's dressing table with a rectangular body raised on tapering, square-sectioned legs, of mahogany and pine veneered in harewood, inlaid with floral sprays in a variety of woods and set with brass handles and castros. The dressing table appears to have four drawers but only the lower two are functional, the upper two fronting compartments that are accessed by hinged leaves forming the top.
Below the central leaf, which hinges along its back edge, is a hinged leaf, covered with green velvet, which can be raised on a ratchet to provide a reading stand. Under this is a shallow compartment with small drawers at the back. Below the side leaves of the top, which hinge outwards, are trays, divided into compartments for toilet requisites.

Given by Mrs Anna L. Bliss

In January 1936 this was on show in the Octogon Court (Gallery 40) together with a group of furniture dated to 1785-1795. See neg. no. 74058, and neg. no. 73941, view 9.

The design of this dressing table is based on French dressing tables of about 1750, but re-interpreted with neo-classical shaping and ornament about thirty years later. The marquetry panels of flower sprays are similar to those produced in the workshop of the French royal cabinet maker Jean-François Oeben (1721-17630 in about 1760. The designs used many pieces of wood that were stained with bright colours to imitate the real colours of flowers, but these have now faded. The harewood ground would originally have been a very pale grey, showing up the colours of the flowers.

W.42:1to13-1934