A FINE IRISH MAHOGANY GEORGE II SIDE TABLE
Circa, 1740
REF1091
The moulded top of solid mahogany, above an apron carved with a mask and flanked by foliate scrollwork on a pounced ground, raised on carved cabriole legs and paw feet. Of outstanding colour and in wonderfully untouched condition.
This table displays a range of carved motifs that are characteristic of Irish tables of the mid 18th Century and set them apart from their English counterparts. The shaped frieze is superbly carved with scrolled acanthus leaves, centred by a large mask of a ‘Green Man’. The legs have further acanthus running down their angles, while the paw foot is typically squared. It corresponds closely to a table in the collection of the Knight of Glin, Glin Castle, Co. Limerick, (see The Knight of Glin and J Peill, Irish Furniture, New Haven and London, 2007, p. 228, fig.92 and p.229, fig.96).
Height: 30 ½ in (77cm) Width: 47 in (119 cm) Depth: 23 in (58cm)
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SHAREDESCRIPTION
In folklore the representation of a ‘Green Man’ originally comes from the Gothic styles of architecture but dates back to much earlier Mediterranean culture. Symbolising rebirth, there is a 13th century example in St. Canices Cathedral, Kilkenny. The carver of this table must have been aware of these acanthus, framed masks from medieval monasteries or from printed and manuscript sources.
The ‘Wild Man of the Forest’ is a pagan deity referenced in Gothic mythology. Over time the ‘Wild Man’ and ‘Green Man’ became conflated, which may account for the alarming set of serrated teeth we see on this idiosyncratic table.
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A FINE IRISH MAHOGANY GEORGE II SIDE TABLE
