A George IV mahogany breakfast table


in the manner of GillowsWith a flame figured and half veneered tilt-top on a lotus-leaf wrapped baluster column, terminating in scroll carved and lotus-leaf capped lion paw feet, on recessed castors, 127cm wide x 127cm deep x 74cm high, (50in wide x 50in deep x 29in high)
|The offered lot is mounted with a brass plaque which is engraved: 'Presented by Geoffrey Dove, Master, 1998-99'.ProvenanceThe breakfast table was donated to the Worshipful Company of Leathersellers by the then Master, following his tenure between 1998-99. Subsequently it remained installed in the library of the Leathersellers Hall, currently located near Leadenhall Market in the heart of the City of London.The Worshipful Company of LeathersellersSince its founding in 1444, when Henry VI granted it the Royal charter, the Leathersellers has remained one of the most historically important ancient Livery Companies based in the City of London. At the time of its inception the Company was permitted to control the sale of all leather within the city however today it does not perform such a regulatory function, being instead involved in supporting education, numerous charities and the British leather trade as a whole.The Company consists of 150 liverymen and a fluctuating quota of freemen while it is governed by an elected Master, three Wardens and the Court of Assistants. The latter being a permanent body of senior liverymen who were previous Masters and those who were not Masters, referred to as Assistants.The impressive Colfe collection of books, which is housed inside the library at the Leathersellers' Hall, totals over 400 rare and historic volumes with the earliest one dating to 1481. Historically the Leathersellers installed the earliest books in their library in 1652 when the Hall was in fact located in Lewisham above a school established by Abraham Colfe. Most of the books cover fields such as theology and philosophy while many are in Latin or Greek. Also famously two of the books were once in the possession of Thomas Cranmer.