REF: LA187041
Origin: English
Price: $326,074
Date of Manufacture: c.1895
Material: Ebonised Ebony
Description
Striking full size (12ft x 6ft) Victorian table, made for James Blyth, 1st Baron Blyth (1841–1925) for 33 Portland Place, London. It is veneered in ebony with openwork gilt-wood panels applied to the sides and boldly carved and gilded acanthus leaf scrolls on the corners. The panels are filled with small and large circular guilloche enclosing flower-heads with ebony centres and the lower borders are bright cut with fans of trefoils. The fluting on the tapering legs are gilded as are the acanthus leaf caps on the feet. Bearing a maker’s label: Cox & Yeman, Billiard Table Manufacturers, 209A Brompton Road, London. English, circa 1895.
Footnotes
James Blyth, 1st Baron Blyth (1841–1925), was a party-loving and philanthropic millionaire who founded the famous gin distillers W.A. Gilbey & Sons. He purchased 33 Portland Place (built in 1775 by Robert Adam) in 1893. He made extensive improvements to the property, including a remarkable Victorian extension that featured a stained-glass billiard room and a hydraulic wall powered by a concealed water pump system. It is presumed this table was made for that very room.
Cox & Yeman: Mr. Henry Cox and Mr. Edward Yeman founded their own billiard table company in the 1850s. Cox built tables, while Yeman and his sister, trained by Burroughes & Watts, handled cushions and covers. By 1864 they were prominent table manufacturers, providing for events like the Oxford vs Cambridge match (1866) and competitions including Dufton’s Great Handicap. Clients included the Duke of Richmond, the King of Siam, Charles Dickens, and many London clubs. After Yeman left in 1876, Cox continued under the same name. In 1902, the Shah of Persia ordered two tables from them.
Specifications
- Height: 33 in
- Width: 151 in
- Depth: 80.75 in
- Material: Ebonised Ebony
- Condition: Good
- Period: Victorian (1837–1901), Late 19th Century
Purchase
Antique Billiard Snooker Pool Table
Price: $326,074
