Antiques M.S. Rau | Hepplewhite Sideboard

This Rare And Highly Important 18Th-Century Mahogany Sideboard Exhibits All The Finest Elements Of The Renowned Hepplewhite Style. Exceptional Marquetry Inlay Work Of Patterns And Scrolls In Satinwoods, Rosewoods And Incredibly Rare Green-Dyed Woods Adorn The Front And Top Edges. Classic Revival Elements Such As The Straight Lines, Tapered Legs, Ribbed Panels And Grecian Urn Relief Indicate That This Is Certainly A Hepplewhite Creation. A Large Drawer For Storing Wine Bottles, A Shallow One For Linen And Two Others For Serving Pieces Give This Piece Practical Functionality. Without Question, This Masterpiece Of The Late Georgian Period Is Nothing Less Than Spectacular.

Sideboards Are Wonderfully Practical And Ceremonial Dining Pieces Popularized In The Late 18Th Century By The Schools Of Robert Adams And George Hepplewhite, The Masters Of Furniture Design At The Time. Hepplewhite Was Highly Influenced By Adams And Took His Revival Style To A New Level, Creating Furniture Of More Refined Proportions And Tone. His Light And Elegant Style Sets His Pieces, Especially Those With Delicate Marquetry Work Such As This One, Apart From All Others.

Circa 1785

Provenance:
Private Collection, Indianapolis, Indiana, October 1973
M.S. Rau, New Orleans

Literature:
R. Fastnedge, English Furniture Styles, 1962
H. Cescinsky, English Furniture, 1968
G. Hepplewhite, The Cabinet-Maker And Upholsterer’S Guide, 1794