William Constable’s connection to the famous cabinet maker Thomas Chippendale probably began in December 1768, when he bought a walnut ‘Gouty Chair’ and a matching stool. William was only 47 years old but already suffering from the gout which plagued him for most of his adult life. In 1774 William employed Chippendale’s firm to furnish his London house in Mansfield Street and a few years later Chippendale supplied most of the furniture for the new Great Drawing Room at Burton Constable where it can be seen today. When the London property was sold in 1784 much of its furniture was also moved to Burton Constable, including the suite of blue and white chairs now in the Chippendale Room.

The horseshoe table was actually ordered by William’s sister Winifred, perhaps as a gift, or perhaps because William was not in London at the time. The bill runs as follows:

1772 Dec 19

To a large Horseshoe Table of

Black rosewood neatly inlaid with other

Woods & a neat frame                                    10 10 0

It was supplied with a protective leather cover and sent to Burton Constable in a large packing case; it probably went by sea to Hull and thence by wagon to Burton Constable. We don’t know where William put his table, but when the inventory of the house was compiled in 1791 there were four horseshoe tables, three of which were in the Gallery where William did much of his work. One of these is likely to have been the Chippendale table.

The table’s shape reflects its purpose, which was to enable William to work while seated in one of his wheelchairs. As his gout grew worse and his weight increased, William became increasingly reliant on wheelchairs to get about the house, and the horseshoe shape, with its widely spaced front legs, allowed the wheelchair to be pulled up close and to have papers and books within reach on either side. It was a practical arrangement suited to his physical condition.

The table would originally have been much more colourful than it is now. It is veneered with black rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia), a widely distributed Asian wood imported in the 18^th century from southern India. It was one of Chippendale’s most widely used veneers. It is now faded but would originally have been a deep purple-brown colour with black veining. The crossbanding around the top and sides is probably fustic (Maclura tinctoria), a Caribbean wood which was originally bright yellow and hence a strong contrast to the black rosewood. The same wood was used for the bookcases supplied by Chippendale in 1774 for the Mansfield Street house. The inlaid work was mainly executed in holly (Ilex aquifolium), which is naturally white but was dyed in many colours to produce a lively and decorative effect. The interiors of the drawers appear to be made of manchineel (Hippomane mancinella), an unusual Caribbean timber whose use might reflect William’s interested in natural history. Manchineel was also used for a cabinet containing ‘Ladies trinkets’ which was listed in the 1791 inventory.

The table was first designed without drawers but, possibly at the time of manufacture or shortly afterwards, it was altered to create the three useful drawers in the frame.