Set of George III Mahogany Library Steps

A fine pair of 18th century George III Hepplewhite period floral marquetry inlaid demi-lune card tables attributed to John Cobb. The semi-elliptical sabico and floral marquetry top is bordered and framed with a half moon of satin birch and box wood banding and crossbanded with an outer banding of tulipwood. The bouquet of flowers is most striking and displays some of the finest floral marquetry; the quality is exceptional and the detail and use of various exotic woods is exemplary. The sabico frieze is shallow and crossbanded with tulipwood and flanked with inlaid satinwood flutes raised on crossbanded and tapered legs that stand on elegant block feet. In excellent original condition and has achieved a warm and lightly sun kissed colour and patina to the premium grade figured mahogany. Circa 1775 - 1785 John Cobb (c.1710–1778) was an English cabinetmaker and upholsterer. His work was once overshadowed by that of Thomas Chippendale but he is now regarded as being among England’s greatest furniture makers. He is thought to come from Ashby, Norfolk and was the son of John Cobb and Mary Holmes. It is believed that John Cobb was apprenticed in 1729 to Timothy Money (fl 1724–59), a Norwich upholsterer. In 1755 he married Sukey, a daughter of the cabinetmaker Giles Grendey and is said to have acquired a ‘singularly haughty character’, strutting ‘in full dress of the most superb and costly kind...through his workshops giving orders to his men’, and on one occasion earning a rebuke from George III. He worked with William Vile from 1750 until 1765 in premises at 72, the corner house of St Martin’s Lane and Long Acre. In the early 1750s, William Hallett, another cabinetmaker of the time, formed a working syndicate with Vile and Cobb. Vile and Cobb supplied furniture to the leading patrons of the day including George III and Queen Charlotte, the 1st Earl of Leicester at Holkham Hall, the 4th Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth and the 4th Duke of Bedford at Woburn Abbey. Vile and Cobb held the Royal Warrant from 1761 until April 1764 when Vile retired. While Vile created works in an Anglicised Rococo style, Cobb’s furniture of the 1770s was executed in an elegant Neoclassical style. Cobb was well known for his haughty disposition which did not always endear him to his customers, so it was no surprise that the Royal Warrant was awarded to two of their employees William France and John Bradburne instead of Cobb himself. Some of Cobb's work is in the Royal Collection at Buckingham Palace. Following Vile's retirement in 1764, Cobb carried on in business with the assistance of his foreman, Samuel Reynolds (fl 1751–85). He made furniture to very high standards and earned a reputation for exquisite marquetry: Hester Thrale, the writer and friend of Dr Johnson, compared the inlaid floors at Sceaux, France, to ‘the most high prized Cabinet which Mr Cobb can produce to captivate the Eyes of his Customers’. Inlay in tropical woods, particularly satinwood, was an important element of Neo-classical furniture. In 1772-4 Cobb produced an ‘Extra neat Inlaid Commode’ and two stands en suite for Paul Methuen at Corsham Court, Wilts, which survive in situ. In 1772 he was implicated in the smuggling of furniture from France. His most extensive work was for the 6th Earl of Coventry at Croome Court, Worcs, between 1765 and 1773. This included a large mahogany...

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