IN THE MANNER OF WILLIAM BRADSHAW, CIRCA 1740

This side table relates to a group of tables, each of which is distinguished by the crisply carved mahogany scallop shell at the center of the frieze. This group notably includes the important pair of side tables, formerly at Langley Park, Norfolk, sold Christie's, London, 6 July 1995 ( £452,500). Langley Park itself was constructed by Matthew Brettingham for George Proctor upon his return from Venice. Brettingham, previously employed by the Earl of Leicester at Holkham Hall in Norfolk, undertook the project. Subsequently, the house's furnishing responsibilities fell to Sir William Beauchamp-Proctor, 1st Bt. (1722-1773), who was George Proctor's nephew. Another table closely resembling this design once belonged to the Earls of Poulett at Hinton House and was auctioned at Sotheby's, London, 1 November 1968, as lot 52. Additionally, a pair of tables located at Chevening House in Kent, as illustrated in Oliver Bracket's 'Furniture at Chevening House' (Old Furniture, vol. 7, May-August 1929, p. 72, fig. 5), shares similar friezes featuring shell motifs and square chamfered legs. These tables are believed to have been possibly supplied to the second Earl of Stanhope in the mid-1730s by William Bradshaw (fl.1728 - d.1775). Bradshaw's early records place him in premises on Frith Street, previously occupied by tapestry maker Joshua Morris, and he continued this trade, possibly in collaboration with artist Tobias Stranover. Bradshaw also catered to other notable clients such as Lord Folkestone at Longford Castle and the 1st Earl of Leicester at Holkham Hall. Another table with straight legs, lacking a provenance, was sold at Parke-Bernet Galleries in New York as part of The Collection of Helen Porter Pryibil on November 20 and 21, 1969, as lot 1048. Additionally, a similar table from the collection of Henry, 7th Earl of Carnarvon of Highclere Castle, found its way to auction at Sotheby's, London, on 6 June 2006, as lot 304.