A STUNNING table modelled on one belonging to Marie Antoinette is a highlight of Bonhams’ furniture sale on Tuesday, November 21. It is expected to sell for up to £30,000.

The sale also includes a desk believed to have belonged to British Prime Minister Lord Palmerston, which is estimated to fetch between £60,000 and £80,000, and a fine George III commode that was formerly the property of Irene Kreitman, daughter of Sir John Cohen, founder of Tesco.

The Table à Millieu is based on the one by Adam Weisweiller and given to Marie Antoinette in 1784. The doomed French queen was famed for her love of luxury and beauty, and the fine craftsmanship and design of this table would have appealed greatly to her taste.

The table given to Marie Antoinette was placed in her cabinet interiéur at the Château de Saint-Cloud, about 10 km outside Paris, which was bought for the queen by Louis XVI in 1785 as somewhere for her to spend time with her children.

Marie Antoinette set about transforming Saint-Cloud in 1787-1788, and the building was enlarged, rebuilt and refurbished. The château was at first refurnished from the Garde Meuble with items from the other royal residences, but soon furniture was commissioned for Saint-Cloud. Gilded chairs and marquetry commodes with gilt-bronze mounts in the richest Louis XVI taste were being delivered to Saint-Cloud right up to the opening days of the French Revolution.

The popularity of this model led to it being produced by a number of the leading Parisian cabinet-makers in the second half of the 19th century. The model to be sold at Bonhams is by Millet of Paris, and is made of ebony, polished steel, mother of pearl and Japanese lacquer.

Henry Temple, third Viscount Palmerston, was born in 1784 and was a well-known figure in aristocratic circles by the time he embarked upon a political career. He is best remembered today for his direction of foreign policy through a period when the United Kingdom was at the height of its power.

Palmerston’s life outside politics is less well recorded but he had a reputation with women which earned him the nickname ‘Cupid’. The grand Regency partners desk to be sold at Bonhams is believed to have been used by Palmerston while at his London residence, Cambridge House, Piccadilly.

It is a magnificent mahogany, crossbanded and ebony marquetry four-sided desk that is possibly attributable to leading Mayfair cabinet-makers and interior decorators Marsh and Tatham. It is expected to sell for £60,000 to £80,000.

A fine George III demi-lune commode that belonged to the late Irene Kreitman, the elder daughter of Sir John Cohen, is expected to fetch between £30,000 to £50,000.

Irene’s husband, Hyman, played a central role in Tesco’s development in the 1960s and 1970s. The couple were also major benefactors to many artistic institutions, including the Wigmore Hall and the Tate Gallery; their financial support allowed the establishment a much-needed archive and research facility at Tate Britain.

The commode is notable for its exquisite marquetry, which features satinwood, tulip crossbanded, purplewood, sycamore and harewood.