Very Fine George III Card Table

Description

Very fine Georgian mahogany card table possibly by Paul Saunders, with shaped and molded serpentine top with baize lined interior and concertina action, the accordian sides with fine hinges stamped “H. Tibats” , standing on acanthus carved cabriole legs with distinctive fluting and ending in scrolled toes, whole with good pleasing color and nice old surface.
Paul Saunders of Soho Square, London, was one of the preeminent cabinet-makers of the 1750s and 60s and supplied furniture to aristocratic clients for their London townhouses and country houses. Notable commissions include Holkham Hall, Norfolk, Woburn Abbey, Bedfordshire and, Petworth House, Sussex.
This table bears a marked resemblance to furniture supplied by Saunders for Holkham Hall, especially in the treatment of the leg and the unusual fluting thereon (see R. Edwards, The Shorter Dictionary of English Furniture, London, 1964, p. 144, fig. 108.
The stamp of H.Tibats on the hinges is thought to relate to Hugh Tibbats or Tibats (both spellings are recorded) ‘hinge and sash fastening maker’ of Bell Street, Wolverhampton, listed in ‘The Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Dudley, Bilston and Willenhall Directory, 1781’. The ‘Tibats’ stamped hinge has been recorded on a number of high quality concertina action tables. See (see P. Thornton, A Signed Hinge, in Furniture History, 1966, pp. 44-45).