Object Description
This is an elegant antique George III Cuban mahogany Regency Period dining table circa 1780 in date with a superb set of twelve George III Revival dining chairs by Robert Strahan, Dublin, 20th C.
The table features elegant simplicity, with straight, unbroken surfaces and lines. It has two leaves which can be added or removed as required to suit the occasion and it stands on three ‘gun barrel’ turned pillars on tripod bases with sabre legs terminating in brass toes and castors.
The table top is of beautiful Cuban flame mahogany and all the leaves are original. There is no mistaking the fine craftsmanship of this handsome dining table which is certain to become a treasured addition to your furniture collection and a talking point with guests at meal times.
The beautiful and rare antique set of twelve George II Revival carved mahogany dining chairs to a design by Giles Grendey by the renowned cabinet makers Robert Strahan, Dublin, Ireland, Circa 1920 in date.
The chairs have been superbly hand crafted from solid flame mahogany with beautifully shaped and carved splat backrests, raised on Chippendale style carved shaped legs terminating in ball and claw feet. The set comprises ten side chairs and a pair of armchairs all with decorative floral needlework upholstered seats. They are stamped on the seat frames R. STRAHAN, some bear paper trade labels for the cabinet maker:
R STRAHAN & CO. LTD
UPHOLSTER’S AND CABINET MAKERS
135 ST. STEPHENS GREEN, DUBLIN
This set of chairs with their distinctive shell backs are modelled after a famous set supplied by Giles Grendey for Henry Hoare at Stourhead, Wiltshire, and illustrated in R. Macquoid and R. Edwards, The Dictionary of English Furniture, 1954, vol. I, p.275, fig. 154.
The chairs are a rich mahogany colour with a striking grain and good patina.
A truly fabulous dining set!!
Condition:
In excellent condition having all been beautifully cleaned, polished waxed and the chairs reupholstered in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation.
Dimensions in cm:
Height 71 cm x Width 367 cm x Depth 123 cm – Fully extended
Height 71 cm x Width 241 cm x Depth 123 cm – With leaves removed
Height 97 cm x Width 62 cm x Depth 57 cm – Armchairs
Height 95 cm x Width 51 cm x Depth 50 cm – Chairs
Height 49 cm – Seat height
Dimensions in inches:
Height 2 foot, 4 inches x Width 12 foot x Depth 4 foot – Fully extended
Height 2 foot, 4 inches x Width 7 foot, 11 inches x Depth 4 foot – With leaves removed
Height 3 foot, 2 inches x Width 2 foot x Depth 1 foot, 10 inches – Armchairs
Height 3 feet, 1 inch x Width 1 foot, 8 inches x Depth 1 foot, 8 inches – Chairs
Height 1 foot, 7 inches – Seat height
Regency Furniture
During the Regency period it was fashionable to copy the classical furniture of the Roman and Greek times. Furniture had stopped evolving in design and had moved back to classical forms. The pioneer designers who represented this period were:
Thomas Hope (1770-1831), George Smith (1804-28), Henry Holland (1745 – 1806)
George IV had a major influence over the furniture makers of the time.
This period saw the introduction of brass to wood from the previous marquetry that had been originally used. The sofa table was also introduced.
The main features of the Regency period furniture were their simplicity, with straight, unbroken surfaces and lines.
Flame Mahogany
Thomas Sheraton – 18th century furniture designer, once characterized mahogany as “best suited to furniture where strength is demanded as well as a wood that works up easily, has a beautiful figure and polishes so well that it is an ornament to any room in which it may be placed.” Matching his words to his work, Sheraton designed much mahogany furniture. The qualities that impressed Sheraton are particularly evident in a distinctive pattern of wood called “flame mahogany.”
The flame figure in the wood is revealed by slicing through the face of the branch at the point where it joins another element of the tree.
Our reference: A4222a