Mid-17th Century Oak Table with Column Turned Legs - Oak Side Table with Two Drawers
The earliest form of table for dining use was a simple trestle type, usually make of oak, with top of elm. Later, more solid constructions appeared, developing into the draw and refectory tables of the 16th century. The early forms of [...]
TABLES writing, Carlton House and similar
A ‘Carlton House’ writing table appears in Gillows’ Cost Books for 1796, described as a ‘Ladies Drawing and Writing Table’ and is also illustrated in the Cabinet Makers Book of Prices 1788. They are, naturally, associated with the late Georgian and Regency period Carlton House was a London residence of [...]
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 nests of
Antique nests of tables are illustrated by Sheraton in his Cabinet Directory of 1803 and have been much reproduced since then. They were described as ‘quartetto’ tables and, while Sheraton envisaged them as useful for needlework, George Smith in his Household Furniture of 1808 saw them in their more modernly accepted role for [...]
TABLES side, pier and console
We join side, pier and console tables together because they are both rich man’s furniture. Once furniture was treated as part of the architecture of the room, say with Adam and the neo-Classical movement onwards, such tables were used to decorate formal reception rooms.
A console is a piece of furniture, without [...]
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 dining, early gateleg
Examples exist from the early part of the seventeenth century but they did not come into general use until the middle of the century, when dining at small tables became common, not only in the homes of the middle classes, but even the large houses.
The value of a gateleg today is greatly [...]
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 [...]