One of the tables and one of the mirrors in situ in the Drawing Room of Howth Castle, Co. Dublin, illustrated in Great Irish Houses and Castles.
THE HOWTH CASTLE PIER MIRRORS AND GESSO TABLES, Irish, circa 1740
Height: 30 in; 76 cm
Width: 44½ in; 113 cm
Depth: 24¼ in; 61.5 cm
Mirrors:
Height: 5 ft 5 in; 165 cm
Width: 3 ft 5¼ in; 104.5 cm
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A pair of Irish George II gilt gesso side tables.
Note: The tables retain much of the original gesso preparation and some of the original gilding. A later and badly deteriorated gilding scheme carried out in 1828 has been removed, and new gold has been laid onto the original clays and blended in with the original gilding.
One table inscribed on inside of the front rail: Regilt Jan 7 1828 W. A.
A pair of Irish George II giltwood pier mirrors attributed to John Booker.
Note: The mirrors were regilded in the 19th century as part of a new decorative scheme alongside other furnishings before undergoing a series of restorations. The mirror plates were replaced probably in 1828 with new mercury silvered glasses which have been retained. Dry stripping has now revealed the original preparation with the original clays and some of the original gilding. Extra gold has been laid onto this and blended in with the original.
Provenance
Commissioned by William St. Lawrence,14th Baron Howth (1688-1748), for either his Dublin house in St. Mary’s Abbey or Howth Castle, Co. Dublin, Ireland;
By descent.
Literature
Christopher Hussey, ‘Malahide Castle, Co. Dublin - I’, 18 April 1947, p. 761, figs 3 & 4.
When Thomas St. Lawrence, 13th Baron Howth, died in 1727, his eldest son William inherited the title. It was probably at this stage that the tables were ordered.
Illustrated:
Irish Furniture, pamphlet, 1978, fig. 12 & back cover.
Jacqueline O’Brien and Desmond Guinness, Great Irish Houses and Castles, 1992, p. 27; one table and one mirror in the Drawing Room, Howth Castle.
The Knight of Glin and James Peill, Irish Furniture, 2007, p. 83, fig. 106.
