Mid-18th Century George III Walnut Lowboy Side Table With Pad Feet

Description

An English walnut George III period lowboy side table from the estate of a legendary hotelier to the rich and … more An English walnut George III period lowboy side table from the estate of a legendary hotelier to the rich and famous.

This walnut lowboy conveys a sense of refinement that is a hallmark of Georgian antiques, symmetrical with clean lines and classic motif. It has a beautiful, warm patina and features a solid top, three drawers with brass teardrop pulls and rosette backplates, a gothic arch-formed apron shaped by inverted finials and slender tapering legs standing on pad feet. This delightful mid-18th century lowboy has solid joints and construction and an exceedingly interesting provenance.

Provenance:
This table is from the estate of famed Paris-born hotelier, Claudius Charles Philippe, who was known the world over as “Philippe of the Waldorf.” In the1940s and 1950s, if New York City was the center of the world the Waldorf Astoria was its epicenter, with a former king of England, one of two living U.S. presidents and General Douglass MacArthur all living under its opulent roof. Philippe reigned as lord of the Waldorf, climbing from maître d’hôtel to general manager, until he was famously sacked for booking Harry Belafonte to perform at the hotel.

Philippe led a colorful life hobnobbing with the rich and famous, dating the young starlet Grace Kelly and entertaining the glitterati at his expansive 18th century country home, Watch Hill Farm. His guests included the likes of Marlene Dietrich, Lena Horne, Maurice Chevalier, Victor Borge, Marilyn Monroe and famed socialite photographer Jerome Zerbe, pioneer of the modern day paparazzi.

One can almost imagine Grace Kelly driving out to Philippe’s country house, wind in her hair along the history-swept suburbs north of New York City past the Gilded Age mansions and gentleman's farms. She and countless other glitterati must have paused at this lovely side table for a spot of tea or to scribble a note in Philippe's guest book. Grace signed the guest book as “Grace Kelly N.Y.C.” in November 1954, the year she starred in two block-buster movies, Rear Window and The Country Girl, for which she went on to win an Oscar for Best Actress.

(The guest book is not included in the sale; the images are included for reference only.) less