English, c.1785. Incorporating exotic timbers of Kingwood, satinwood, Goncalo alves and mahogany, with a long drawer, tapering legs, and brass casters; the scagliola panel of figures on a porphyry background, would have been bought back from the Grand Tour in the 18th century. As was the practice, this piece of furniture was specifically made to incorporate the panel.

Reference image included; Vatican Museum. A procession in honour of Isis – the two figures on the left are shown in this table top. The first figure shows a musician holding in her right hand a percussion rattle, known as a ‘sistrum’. In her left hand is a ‘pandura’, a stringed instrument, what can be seen as a mixture of the more modern lyre and guitar. The priest on the right, who has a shaved head, is holding a wine vessel. Isis was initially an obscure goddess who lacked her own dedicated temples, but she grew in importance as the dynastic age progressed, until she became one of the most important deities of ancient Egypt. Her cult subsequently spread throughout the Roman Empire, and Isis was worshipped from as far as England to Afghanistan.

Provenance: the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, loaned to the National Trust and then to Peckover House, Peterborough.

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