Victorian, Art Deco and Edwardian Gateleg Tables
TABLES gateleg
The gateleg table was a great favourite of the 17th and 18th centuries. It did not die out in the 19th century but continued in other forms, like the Sutherland (q.v.) table.
During the last quarter of the 19th century, however, it was back to the Good Old Days for gatelegs, as with so many other forms of furniture. The oak gateleg was back in its late 17th century form, to meet the prevailing demand aroused by the medieval and ‘Olde Englishe’ taste.
Two oak gateleg dining tables of good reproduction of styles of 1670-1720. The top example has the column turned legs here slightly balustered which were put on many conventional tables of this sort at the end of the 18th century. The lower table features spiral or twist turning to the legs (but not the stretchers, which are left square) which met ‘Elizabethan’ taste, but which in fact dates back to 1670-1690. Both tables have a give-away feature for those anxious to identify period. Both have a deep ‘thumb-nail’ or ovolo moulding around the top. This is not a feature generally to be seen on period tables and was much used by reproducers from 1900 onwards. 1900-1920
Two occasional gateleg tables of small size from Maurice Adams. The top one, with a robust end Igunbarrel’ column, emulates an early small gateleg of the 1670s. The lower example is more conventional with column
turning and square stretchers. Both have a ‘thumb-nail’ top edge moulding. They are intended for lounge or drawing room use, not for dining. c. 1925
A white deal gateleg table of the old type of construction shown by Percy Wells c.1920. Wells liked the enduring virtues of the gateleg the design variations to top and leg, the convenience of storage, and use at half or full dimension. Unlike the Pembroke, it is hard to top over because of the leg support, but this very virtue is a drawback since the legs get in the way of the sitter. Wells proposed to overcome the objection of the low foot rails by setting them back from the legs and projecting the top further over. He also proposed a change to the gate system to avoid halving the leg or the long rail. He shows drawings of the new system but not a photograph. The table shown above is 5ft. long by 2ft.10ins. and, as Wells points out, is much more costly to construct than a plain kitchen table of the same size on four legs.c.1920
Two small lacquered gateleg tables for occasional use, in the chinoiserie style much revived in the 1920s. The legs are extremely slender and the tables are clearly not designed for much other than ornamental
purposes.
A reproduction oak gateleg table with twist-turned legs. Note the flat stretchers without any form of incised moulding and the heavy ‘thumb-nail’ or ovolo moulding around the top. Both features are strong indications of a reproduction as against a 17th century original. Made in a fairly cheap oak and stained or semi-French polished to give a darkened aged appearance, but this finish is apt to scratch or chip off. This type of table was made in enormous quantities. There are container loads of them available from trade shippers specialising in this kind of furniture but recent activity has increased the price, which in 1979 was a standard 38 or so. 1920-1930