The 7ft 11in (2.41m) wide console table c.1720 was consigned to the September 22 sale at the Chelsea rooms from the estate of a wealthy collector who had homes around the globe.
The vendors believed the table may have passed through a Paris dealer in the 1980s and that it was originally from a French palace.
However, valuer Stephen Giles had no cast-iron provenance other than its purchase around 40 years ago by the late collector.
Although the gilding required refreshing, Giles said the at traction to the “exceptional” table was its size (it took eight men to bring it into the saleroom) and the survival of the original 18th century rouge royale marble top.
A detail of the Régence giltwood console table with original marble top that took £52,000 at Lots Road Auctions.
“It is so difficult for furniture now, so it is very nice to have a result like this. We put the lowest possible estimate on to attract buyers and it shows if you market something well and it is good quality, then it can do well,” he added.
Every item from the estate – around 30 lots – sold including a group of Qianlong period Cantonese enamels that, fought over by 10 phone bidders, took hammer prices up to 10-times low estimates (see Bid Barometer).
