Extremely Fine Regency Rosewood and Casuarina Sofa table firmly attributed to Gillows of Lancaster, with John Mclean pattern handles and escutcheons, of wonderful faded colour.English Likely London made Circa 1810 Of conventional form with two side flaps and rectangular section, this fine table is very rare because of the exotic woods used and the quality of its manufacture. The piece is veneered principally with rosewood but the top is crossbanded with amaranth and there are inlaid panels of casuarina oak from Australia (see below). The table has two end supports, an elegant arched stretcher, and two working and two dummy drawers in the friezes to front and back respectively. The primary decoration on this piece is the veneer used but the inlaid stringing employed on the drawer fronts and end blocks on the frieze and to the front and sides of the end supports is also extremely attractive and rather unusual. The combination of this decoration and the arched stretcher suggests an early regency period date as larger stretchers and increased amounts of ormolu mounts were typically used on the best pieces of the George IV. The table retains its fine original castors on the splayed feet and the proportions of the piece are perfect, meaning that it stands very well indeed.This lovely table is unusual for a number of reasons. The combination of primarily rosewood veneers with boxwood and casuarina, sometimes wrongly known as partridgewood in the trade, is not at all common. An Australian wood, casuarina was an exotic accent that was first seen in England from the 1790s. By 1811, it was listed in the London Cabinet-Maker's Union Book of Prices as an optional veneer, costing an extra 3d per Pound when compared to the much more common mahogany.The hardware on this piece is extremely noteworthy. Handles and escutcheons of this pattern are found on a series of important writing tables attributed to the Tottenham Court Road maker John McLean. Indeed a related so...