A Queen Anne period dressing table - A George III mahogany dressing table - country dressing table in walnut and fruitwood
Towards the end of the seventeenth century the small tables in walnut and oak or country woods specifically designed as dressing tables made their appearance. Before that it seems to have been the practice to [...]
TABLES sofa, vertical supports and stretchers
The sofa table is a variation which was evolved from the Pembroke table and gets its name from its intended application, namely, to stand against a sofa. It is therefore long and thin with flaps at the end, whereas the Pembroke is squarer in shape, and so popular did it [...]
TABLES writing and library
A round or multi-sided library table, with a number of drawers, supported on a central base, normally a pillar, is referred to in the antique trade as a ‘rent’ or `drum top’ table. By tradition they were used to keep account of rents paid and due, for some tables have initials on [...]
TABLES night, and chamber pot holders
A Georgian mahogany night table of serpentine front with a good shaped tray top with hand holes for carrying. 1750-1770
A mahogany antique night table with matched figured veneers. Very typical of the type which have split front legs to give support when the lower half is pulled forward for use. [...]
TABLES dining, Georgian and Regency single pedestal
Fashion at the end of the eighteenth century moved away from the long table, with its implications of seniority, towards the round table where such distinctions were less marked.
In addition the use of a separate small comfortable room (the breakfast room) for family meals or intimate dinner parties, led [...]
TABLES - dining, mahogany gateleg, Chippendale and after
When one considers the revolution in design of chairs associated with the name of Chippendale, it is amazing that he never mentioned dining tables in his trade catalogues. His firm made gatelegs with D-ends among other complicated tables discussed in the next section but, perhaps justifiably, his name [...]
TABLES folding card, 1720-1750
On the previous page we show how, from early sacred examples, tables could be adapted for profane purposes. The move from turned or turned and faceted leg to a cabriole form followed quite simply the general furniture pattern (see Chairs). The fold-over as opposed to hanging flap type was ideal for the [...]
Sofa table
Sofa tables belong to the last decade of the eighteenth century and the first two of the nineteenth, after which they became ‘occasional tables’ without a specific function. They were originally designed for writing or playing games while people sat on a sofa, and as such were usually at least 5 ft long, sometimes [...]
Tripod table
1. Made of heavy, dense mahogany.
2. Carving, dishing, piecrust or scalloping integral with table top, standing proud of the surface.
3. Grain of stem running from top to bottom without a break.
4. Proportions correct: when tilt top is vertical the sweep of the curve should not cut into the baluster, carving or decoration, or leave [...]
Library table
In its most general meaning, a library table is simply a table used for writing or reading in the library of a grand house. The term covers a wide variety of tables, from the slender eighteenth century writing table derived from the French bureau plat, to the solid drum-shaped tables which were smaller versions [...]