Lot 162
REGENCY MAHOGANY SIDE TABLE OF NAPOLEONIC INTEREST
EARLY 19TH CENTURY
Auction: 26 June 2013 at 12:00 BST
Description
the rectangular top with crossbanding and line inlay and a moulded edge, raised on turned and tapered slender column legs joined by trestle supports and a flat stretcher rail, previously from a set of quartetto tables; the top mounted with a silver plaque engraved 'CETTE PETITE TABLE PROVIENT DU MOBILIER DE L'EMPEREUR NAPOLEON ET ETAIT PORTEE CHACQUE JOUR SUR LA TERRASSE A St HELENE OU S.M. PRENAIT LE CAFE'
Dimensions
34cm wide, 72cm high, 25.5cm deep
Footnote
Note:
When Napoleon was exiled to the British controlled island of St. Helena in the south Atlantic in 1815, he was housed in Longwood House, a modest single story residence built specifically for this purpose. Simply furnished, it was a far cry from the lavish surroundings he had enjoyed as Emperor. The present lot, by repute used by Napoleon to take his coffee on the terrace of Longwood House, is similar to a side table visible in several paintings made of Napoleon on his deathbed, and a possibly matching table from the original quartet can be seen today in the sitting room at Longwood.