Stock ref: DS1324

Circa early/ mid 1920s

An amazing local barn find, the most exciting of my trade career to date – thought to be one of the earliest pieces of ‘Mouseman’ domestic furniture to have been made at Robert Thompson’s featuring  carved mice.

A unique, extremely early and rare  ‘Mouseman’ draw-leaf table  from Robert Thompson’s workshop, believed to have been a bespoke made piece as  this is not thought to have ever been a  design that has featured in their standard portfolio.  The table is 3′ square in standard folded form, extending to 5′ in length when the two extension leaves, which slide in and out, are in use. Even the cleated and panelled table top design and construction is unique. It stands sturdily on 4  large octagonally carved baluster legs, joined by diagonal stretchers which meet centrally in an octagonal central boss with a decorative finial top. The boss also acts as an additional central leg.  The outer facets of two diagonally opposing  legs  feature very prominently carved mice, extremely unusual and large, with front paws and upfacing whiskers, quite different to the  more standard design that was adopted from the 1930’s onwards. A similar mouse carving from the same craftsman can be found on a very early reading chair with lecturns currently in the Thompson’s museum. 

In the same local family ownership for two generations, although it is currently unclear  if it was originally made for the sellers in-laws or if they acquired it from another source. Although barn stored for a number of years it remains in remarkably sound condition, all the joints are solid, any deterioration is largely cosmetic to the exposed table top surface. Traces of it’s original waxed colour and  ‘former glory’  can be seen on the two  table extension sections which have remained under the top during storage. There’s the odd expected patch of old woodworn visible to small areas of the underside, but this is easily treated and it is not structural in any way. 

Size: 91.5 to 152.5(w) x 91.5(d) x 76(h)cm 

Grateful thanks to colleague Gavin Kirkbride for alerting me to the existence of the piece. We’ve worked together on a number of projects, he  was a  mouseman craftsman  from 1993-2007 and now has his own handcrafted furniture business –  Lily Furniture. www.lilyfurniture.com.

Thanks also to Ian Thompson Cartwright at Robert Thompson’s for his time spent with me authenticating the piece.

The pictures in the image gallery below are of the piece exactly as acquired, complete with dead spiders, cobwebs and straw ! 

Please contact me to discuss restoration and the price of the piece.

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