Formal diningrooms have rather gone out of fashion in the recent mania for luxury fitted kitchens which double as livingroom, family room and space to entertain. Antique dealers and auctioneers would, no doubt, like to see a return to more formal dining habits since a wealth of period furniture can be displayed and used as it was intended in a proper diningroom, away from the din and bright lights of the kitchen. Some buyers remain faithful to the idea of formal entertaining, according to Sara Kenny of Hamilton Osborne King.
"There is still a demand from a particular type of person for good diningroom furniture. It generally comes from professional people who have smart houses with diningrooms." she says. "They start looking for a suitable dining table, and once they get that, and a set of chairs, they progress on to nice wine coolers, candelabrum, that sort of thing."
Good solid diningroom furniture and accessories feature strongly in Hamilton Osborne King's forthcoming antiques sale at the RDS on November 6th. The sale includes no less than six extending dinner tables, ranging from a 19th century mahogany circular table with four central leaves (£4,000-£6,000) to a handsome mahogany D end three pedestal table, also 19th century, valued at £10,000 to £15,000. A very long 16seater hunt table, which dates from the 19th century and came from a boardroom, would suit a room that needs to revert to general use with the table folded against a wall when the party is over. The estimate is £3,000 to £5,000.
Lot 222 is a set of 16 dining chairs dating from around 1840, according to Sara Kenny. It's rare to find such a big set and the chairs, from a convent, are in good condition, although they need to be recovered. The estimate is £6,000 to £8,000.
There are several breakfast and supper tables, side tables and sideboards, including one of the most expensive lots in the sale, a striking mahogany inlaid bowed breakfront serving table with pedestals en suite, dating from 1790, that originally came from Charleville House in Co Wicklow. It is expected to make £20,000 to £25,000. By contrast, a simple bowed front late 18th century Irish serving table could fetch £6,000 to £8,000.
Among the silver lots, an 1817 kings pattern dinner service in its original ironbound timber carrying box with an original bill of sale carries an estimate of £10,000 to £12,000. Sold by F Rochfort, Goldsmiths at Piccadilly, and supplied to one Captain Cowles, it comprises 92 pieces in all, mostly forks and spoons. The original price was a hefty £122. There are no knives in the set, but Lot 26 is a set of 12 kings pattern dinner knives, made in 1814 by Paul Storr and estimated at £800 to £1,200 while a modern set of 12 kings pattern silver knives in the following lot has a top estimate of £400. A pretty Meissen dinner service of white plates decorated with posies, swags and ribbons has around 53 pieces, including 21 dinner plates. It is expected to make £1,500 to £2,500.
Among the glass lots, a pair of cut glass and ormulu candelabra dating from 1830 (£1,500-£2,500) would cast a magical glow on the dinner table while as a centrepiece, a fine Cork canoe-shaped cut glass fruit bowl, also dating from the late 18th century, is expected to make £4,000 to £5,000.
Lot 35, a set of six silver salts with gilded interiors, made in London in 1856, could fetch up to £1,800.
To reflect the scene, a carved giltwood Irish mirror with a shell motif at its base and surmounted by an eagle added at a later date, carries a top estimate of £8,000.
Finally, to decorate the walls, a couple of typical diningroom pictures - lot 89 is a very large 19th century oil painting of hunting dogs at work in a wooded landscape (£8,000-£12,000) while lot 93, an 18th century or possibly earlier, Dutch painting of a pantry scene - where a rather dour looking maid is seen preparing fish for a banquet - carries the same estimate.
Bon appetit!
