THE SAMUEL MESSER KETTLE STAND, English, circa 1755
Diameter of top: 10¾ in; 27.5 cm
A George II mahogany kettle stand.
A leading collector of English tripod tables remarked on the unusually large scale toes of this kettle stand; at nearly three inches long, they give the table exceptional stability.
The mahogany has acquired an outstanding patination after centuries of wax polishing, some of which may have been done by Samuel Messer himself. He is known to have enjoyed polishing the items in his collection, and in the process deepening his knowledge and understanding of English furniture.
Samuel Messer’s collection was assembled under the guidance of R. W. Symonds, and is regarded as one of the very best collections of English furniture formed in the 20th century. It is now dispersed all over the world.
Provenance
Samuel Messer, The Vyne, Hampshire, England;
Private collection, England.
Literature
Illustrated:
Christie’s, ‘The Samuel Messer Collection of English Furniture, Clocks and Barometers’, sale catalogue, London, 5 December 1991, p. 98, lot 72.
