BY GILLOWS, LATE 19TH CENTURY, AFTER A DESIGN CIRCA 1882

In 1804 Gillows illustrated and patented their Imperial dining-table in which a variable number of loose leaves were fitted between fixed end leaves, a design which, within a few years, largely superseded most earlier ones. Initially such tables had an arrangement of as many as ten or twelve legs to support the central leaves when extended, but as the design was improved and the mechanism became more sturdy the centre legs were gradually removed. The form remained popular for many years. A related Imperial telescopic dining-table, dated 1849 is illustrated in the Gillow's Estimate Sketchbooks no. 5516, retailed through Ferguson & Co., for their client Mr Allfrey. A further two related examples are illustrated in Susan E. Stuart, Gillows of Lancaster and London 1730-1840, Woodbridge, 2008, pp. 246-274, pl. 243 and 245.