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| Side Table Sir John Soane c. 1805 The Victoria & Albert Museum |
This side table, made around 1805, is part of a monumental suite of unconventional Gothic furnishings from the grand, two-story library of Stowe House in Buckinghamshire, England. The suite was comprised of this table and its pair and a massive octagonal center table. These were matched with carved ebony chairs from India.
In 1848, mired in debt, the Duke of Buckingham was forced to sell the contents of Stowe House. The sale lasted for forty days and garnered the attention of England’s elite, including Queen Victoria & Prince Albert. The pair of side tables and en suite center table were purchased by the same buyer and remained in his family until 1972 upon which time the center table was offered to the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery.
The suite was made in London, designed by Sir John Soane (1753-1837). They are constructed of ebonized mahogany and ivory. The set was made specifically for Stowe’s Gothic Revival Library and was commissioned by the 1st Marquess of Buckingham (1753-1813) who dictated that the design of the room should follow the look of the screen of the tomb of Henry VII at Westminster Abbey.
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