It may be readily imagined that at a time when cards were the passion of everybody in society, the card-table became a necessary piece of furniture in eighteenth-century days, just before the dawn of the great age of mahogany, when Chippendale, and the school that followed him, eagerly worked in the wood which Raleigh discovered. They produced countless forms, both original and adapted from the French, which have enriched the répertoire of the cabinetmaker and which have brought fame to the man whose designs added lustre to the reputation of English furniture.

RECENT SALE PRICES.[1]

£s.d.
Chairs, six, mahogany, single, and one armchair to match, with shaped legs and openwork backs (early eighteenth century). F. W. Kidd, & Neale & Son, Nottingham, November 11, 19032540
Chairs, eight Queen Anne, walnut-wood, with high backs, on slightly cabriole legs, with stretchers. Christie, December 11, 190333120
Armchair, Queen Anne, large walnut-wood, carved with foliage, the arms terminating in masks, on carved cabriole legs and lion's-claw feet. Christie, March 29, 19045080
Cabinet, Queen Anne, the lower part fitted with escritoire, the upper part with numerous drawers, shaped cornice above, 3 ft. 6 in. by 7 ft. 6 in. Puttick & Simpson, April 12, 19043400
Chairs, four Queen Anne, walnut-wood, with interlaced backs carved with rosettes and a shell at the top, on cabriole legs carved with shells and foliage; and a pair of chairs made to match. Christie, July 8, 19044420

W. G. Honey Esq., Cork.
CHASED BRASS ESCUTCHEON OF LAC CABINET (ILLUSTRATED).
(Width, 10½ in.)

[1] By the kindness of the proprietors of the Connoisseur, these items are given from their useful monthly publication, Auction Sale Prices.

VI
FRENCH FURNITURE.
THE PERIOD OF
LOUIS XIV