Diminutive Georgian Satinwood Pembroke Table

Very fine George III satinwood Pembroke table, the rectangular top with purpleheart oval center and cross banding, having two recta...

Fine George III mahogany Pembroke table in richly colored timber, the round top with simple edge over single drawer retaining origi...

A very fine quality 18th century Georgian Sheraton period satinwood pembroke table having superbly figured two flap top, with attractive padouk wood crossbanded decoration, over one frieze drawer opposed by dummy drawer to reverse, retaining original brass handles, raised on elegant square tapering legs, terminating on original brass castors. Pembroke tables became one of the most popular pieces of furniture around the middle of the 18th century, owing largely to their versatility and their plethora of different functions. In fact George Hepplewhite himself actually described Pembroke tables as "the most useful of tables" and many references can be found to them in the literature of the time. People such as Jane Austen even described them being used for dining at, or for writing at, whilst there is even reference to them being used in other places around the house such as for ladies to sit and and carry out their embroidery. One thing that is certain is that the fact they are incredibly versatile even in todays world and can be used for many, many different purposes. The option of being able to use the two flaps to create significant variations in the size of the table top surface is certainly a popular and useful feature. This particular Georgian Satinwood...

This extraordinary George III-period Pembroke table by London cabinetmakers Ince & Mayhew displays the understated sophistication of the late Georgian era. The surface of the table — including both the central panel and the signature Pembroke hinged flaps — is beautifully detailed with satinwood marquetry, inlaid with a fan medallion and foliate motifs executed with the greatest precision and craftsmanship. The table is set upon slender, tapering legs. The design is indicative of the rising influence of and interest in Neoclassical patterns, favoring motifs from nature or Classical antiquity over the extravagance of the Rococo style. William Ince and John Mayhew joined their skills as furniture designers and cabinetmakers, opening a firm together on Broad Street in 1759. Over the next forty years, the duo would execute many commissions, and develop a volume of engraved designs entitled The Universal System...