John Hill was the son of a wayward convict, who served his cabinet-making apprenticeship in Castlereagh Street, Sydney.
When he designed and made the original of this table around 1855, he had his own workshop at 48 King Street, Sydney.
The Hill Wine Table has a classically sculptured hand-turned central column and is elegantly raised on three gently formed legs. The top features a fine thumb nail moulding around the edge.
"The table's elegance is more robust than fragile, reflecting the more practical and functional outlook of this first generation Australian craftsman. English wine tables of this period were smaller and more restricted in their use. John Hill made furniture for Australian requirements."
Australian Colonial Furniture, by John Buttsworth, plate 47.
The Hill Wine Table is multi-functional and can serve as a lamp table, a bedside table, a refreshment table or a practical display table. The modern polish is resistant to water, alcohol and moderate heat.