George III Painted Pine Side Table c.1790-1800

The pretty and well-proportioned side table well having tapered legs and being dry scraped back to its original condition, the frieze drawer with period drop handles, the whole retaining the original faux-grained comb-work scumbled painted decoration in a fawn colour and surviving from late George III period England.

The table is in good overall order. The finish is pleasing and there are no losses, and she stands true with the drawer running smoothly. The top is slightly bowed which is common. The back has been over-painted at some stage.

In this period one of the uses of painting in furniture was to imitate more exotic and expensive wood grains buy painting and applying them to more accessible woods such as pine. Faux bois (from the French for false wood) refers to the artistic imitation of wood or wood grains in various media. The craft has roots in the Renaissance with trompe-l'œil. It was probably first crafted with concrete using an iron armature by garden craftsmen in France called "rocailleurs" using common iron materials: rods, barrel bands, and chicken wire.

The family that owned this piece of furniture originally would have acquired it with the idea of it making them appear wealthier. Ironic now that currently you could argue that this type of surface is more prized commercially than, for instance, most mahogany table of this period.

Beautiful in its raw feel and rather unusual.