Johnstone, Jupe & Co., London
“Jupe’s Patent” Extending Dining Table, c. 1839
Mahogany
Lent by Apter-Fredericks Ltd., London
When Alma-Tadema received the music room commission, he turned to a furniture-making firm that had been in business in London since at least 1807. The firm’s name varied over time, reflecting changes in ownership, with “Johnstone” as the constant. Alma-Tadema described Johnstone, Norman & Co. to Marquand as “the people who work generally for me and understand my wishes.” It is likely that they had previously made a number of pieces of furniture for the artist, such as a pair of studio benches he used as props for many of his paintings. The firm had a reputation for fine-quality products and precision craftsmanship. The furniture they made for the Marquand music room increased their fame exponentially, likely stimulating the launch of an ambitious but ultimately unsuccessful (even ruinous) attempt to attract more business from wealthy Americans. Within a few years of the success of the Marquand suite, which was lauded in newspapers and journals on both sides of the Atlantic, the firm faced bankruptcy and was taken over by another furniture firm, though it continued to operate under the same name until around 1911.
Among the most famous of the firm’s products was an expandable dining table, patented by firm principal Robert Jupe in 1835. Jupe’s innovative table expanded radially, with segments of the table moving along tracks away from the center and the resulting openings filled by expertly fitted inserts. This allowed the table to accommodate various-sized dinner parties without the inconvenience of cumbersome attachments or table legs placed in the way of diners’ chairs. The ingenious mechanism is simple to use and reliable—after a lifespan of nearly 180 years, the table functions perfectly.
