ANTIQUE GAMING TABLE, MAHOGANY OVAL PEMBROKE TABLE, WRITING AND WORK TABLE, ANTIQUE SERVING TABLE, REGENCY STYLE MAHOGANY LIBRARY TABLES

A LARGE GEORGE III SEMI-CIRCULAR GAMING TABLE
with a baize-lined interior with six square tapering legs,
4ft. 5in. wide (135cm.) circa 1780.

A PAIR OF GEORGE III SEMI-CIRCULAR MAHOGANY CARD TABLES, the tops crossbanded in satinwood and each with a semi-circular shell medallion, the friezes set with oval paterae and

raised on square tapering legs with castors, 3ft. wide (92cm.) circa 1785, tops split.

A GEORGE III MAHOGANY OVAL PEMBROKE TABLE,
with a satinwood banding and a tulipwood crossbanding,
the curved frieze with a drawer, on square tapering legs
with castors.

A GOOD AND LARGE GEORGE III SERPENTINE FRONTED DINING ROOM SIDE TABLE, the frieze centred by a panel carved with grape swags, raised on six circular tapering legs headed by

leaves and with bands and petals, the front four headed by grape swags, 3ft. 2in. high by 9ft. Vhin. wide by 4ft. deep (96cm. by 278cm. by 122cm.) circa 1785, originally with

brass gallery.

A GEORGE III MAHOGANY ‘D’-SHAPED SIDE TABLE
crossbanded in satinwood and with boxwood and ebony
stringing and a frieze drawer, on square tapering legs
and block feet, 2ft. 5V2in. high by 3ft. wide (75cm. by
91.5cm.) circa 1790.

A PAIR OF GEORGE III MAHOGANY D-SHAPED BREAK-
FRONT CARD TABLES, the hinged top, with a baize-lined
interior, the frieze inlaid with boxwood stringing, on
square tapering legs, 2ft. 5in. high by 3ft. wide (74cm. by
92cm.)

A GEORGE III MAHOGANY WRITING AND WORK
TABLE, with adjustable hinged leather top crossbanded
in kingwood with a slide and a dummy drawer in the
frieze, with a drawer at the side and a work bag, on
square tapering legs, 2ft. 5in. high by lft. Hin. (74cm. by
58.5cm.) circa 1790.

A GEORGE III MAHOGANY WRITING TABLE, the rectangular leather-lined top with outset rounded acanthus leaf-carved corners, the frieze with a pair of opposing drawers, on turned

tapered legs carved with acanthus leaves and a band of drapery, on brass castors, 2ft. 5Vzin. high by 4ft. 2′Mn. wide (75cm. by 128cm.) circa 1790.

AN ATTRACTIVE REGENCY PENWORK WORK TABLE, the top with an oval panel decorated with chinoiserie figures at an al fresco music party, with an anthemion border and flowered

surround, on two pairs of ringed legs with outcurved supports, 2ft. 4Y2in. high by lft. 9in. long (72cm. by 53cm.) circa 1800, originally with a slide.

A LATE GEORGE III OVAL MAHOGANY TABLE, the
top decorated in painted paper with flowers on a cream
ground with a frieze drawer at one side and raised on
slender turned tapering legs with turned X-stretchers,
2ft. 5V2in. high by 2ft. long (74cm. by 61cm.) circa 1800,
drawer now stopped.

A GEORGE III MAHOGANY SIDE TABLE, the rec-
tangular top with rounded corners and a frieze drawer,
on square tapering legs ending in spade feet, 2ft. 4in.
high by 2ft. Win. wide (71cm. by 86cm.) circa 1790,
originally a card table.

A SMALL JAPANESE LACQUER COFFER with domed
lid decorated with panels of flowers and a horse in shades
of gilt on black, lft. wide, late 18th Century/early 19th
Century; now raised on a Regency ebonised Table with
rectangular triple ‘bamboo’ cluster column pillar and
concave triangular platform table, 2ft. 2in. high by lft. 4in.
long (66cm. by 41cm.)

A REGENCY MAHOGANY CARD TABLE with hinged swivelling top, the frieze inlaid with stars and crescent moons, on two pilaster supports and concave base supported by downcurved

sabre legs and castors, 2ft. 5lhin. high by 3ft. zoide (75cm. by 91.5cm.) circa 1820.

A PAIR OF LATE GEORGE III MAHOGANY CARD
TABLES of rectangular form and with rounded corners,
raised on elegant circular tapering legs with shaped
collars and feet, 2ft. lOin. wide (87cm.) circa 1805.

A REGENCY CONCAVE-FRONTED MAHOGANY SERVING TABLE with a boldly reeded edge, the front with string-ing and a central panel applied with a brass anthemion mount, raised on

circular tapering reeded legs, the front two headed by anthemion panels en suite with the frieze panel, 3ft. high by 6ft. 6in. wide (92cm. by 198cm.) circa 1810.

A LATE GEORGE III SEWING TABLE, the rectangular top with a moulded edge and a shallow drawer fitted with divisions above a double long drawer and bag frame, on turned tapering

legs and brass castors, 2ft. 6in. high by lft. lOin. wide (77.5cm. by 56cm.) circa 1810.

A GEORGE IV MAHOGANY PEMBROKE TABLE, the top with rounded corners and crossbanded in satinwood, with two frieze drawers and slender turned legs, lft. 8in. long by 2ft. Vkin.

open (51cm. by 64cm.) circa 1815.

A GEORGE IV OVAL MAHOGANY DINING TABLE, the hinged top with a reeded edge and raised on a turned pillar and four moulded downcurved legs, 3ft. 9′Mn. wide by 4ft. 3in. long

(116cm. by 130cm.) circa 1820.

A GEORGE IV GILTWOOD CENTRE TABLE with
rectangular top, the frieze carved with guilloche and
flowerheads, on heavy cabriole legs carved with
palmettes and flowering branches and ending in paw
feet, 2ft. 6in. high by 3ft. 7in. wide (77cm. by 109cm.)
circa 1820, constructed from a pair of side tables, black
marbletop.

A GEORGE IV MAHOGANY DROP-LEAF TABLE, with
reeded edge and rounded corners and simple turned legs,
3ft. 3in. wide by 4ft. 5in. open (99cm. by 135cm.) circa
1820.

A MAHOGANY SOFA TABLE with canted corners, two dummy and two real drawers, on later ring-turned frame and downcurved legs, 2ft. 4′/2in. high by 5ft. 2V2in. wide (72cm. by

159cm.) part early 19th Century.

A LATE REGENCY MAHOGANY SOFA TABLE, cross-
banded in rosewood and inlaid with boxwood stringing,
with two real and two dummy drawers, on lyre supports
joined by a serpentine stretcher, on downcurved sabre
legs and brass castors, 2ft. 4V2in. high by 5ft. l’Ain, wide
(72cm. by 156cm.) circa 1820.

A PAIR OF REGENCY ROSEWOOD CARD TABLES, the
swivelling baize-lined tops with rounded corners and
inlaid with brass stringing, over the similarly inlaid
frieze centred by a rectangular brass moulded panel, the
simulated rosewood acanthus-leaf carved baluster stem,
brass inlaid and on down-swept legs ending in castors,
circa 1815.

A GEORGE IV MAHOGANY TWO PEDESTAL DINING
TABLE of unusual form, each rectangular end with a
drawer and a flap raised on a turned pillar, the concave-
sided rectangular platform on four canted scrolled legs,
3ft. 5in. wide by 4ft. Hin. fully extended (104cm. by 105cm.)
circa 1820.

A PAIR OF WILLIAM IV ROSEWOOD-VENEERED CARD
TABLES, each swivelling rectangular top with rounded
corners and a burr-yew banding, the friezes and square
pillars outlined with bead mouldings, and raised on a
concave-sided square base with burr-elm scroll feet,
3ft. wide (91cm.) circa 1830.

A GEORGE IV MAHOGANY SOFA TABLE of good
colour, and the top with rounded corners crossbanded
in rosewood with a frieze drawer and a pillar on a concave-
sided rectangular base with hipped cabriole legs, outlined
throughout with narrow bead mouldings, 4ft. TMn. open
(141cm.) circa 1825.

A PAIR OF REGENCY STYLE MAHOGANY LIBRARY TABLES in the manner of Thomas Hope, each baize-lined top with canted corners and hinged bookrest, with three frieze drawers at the

front and back and circular tapering reeded legs with ebonised paw feet headed by metal puma ring handles, 5ft. wide (152cm.).

A REGENCY MAHOGANY SOFA, the moulded frame with over-scrolled ends of equal height, the seatrail set with three diagonally reeded panels raised on sabre legs, 6ft. 4in. long

(193cm.) circa 1820, possibly Scottish.

A WILLIAM IV ROSEWOOD AND MAHOGANY WORK TABLE, the rectangular hinged top with solid gallery and canted corners, above one dummy and one real bead-decorated frieze drawer and an

upholstered work-bag beneath, the acanthus leaf carved end standard supports supported by double eagle head scrolls to a platform support and acanthus leaf-carved eagle heads,

2ft. 5′Mn. high by lft. 9in. wide (75cm. by 53cm.) circa 1835.

A WILLIAM IV ROSEWOOD-VENEERED CARD TABLE,
the swivelling top with rounded corners above a panelled
frieze, raised on a pillar, the leaf-carved base on a concave
rectangular platform and four scroll and paw-carved feet,
2ft. lVhin. wide (90cm.) circa 1825.

A GEORGE I WALNUT KNEEHOLE WRITING TABLE
with a rectangular top, a drawer in the frieze above the
kneehole which contains a shallow drawer and recessed
cupboard, with three drawers in each pedestal, 2ft. 7in.
high by 2ft. 7in. wide (79cm. by 79cm.) circa 1725, top and
bracket feet replaced.

Regency Rosewood Sofa Table - A Sheraton Mahogany Pembroke Table

Pembroke tables are said to be named after the Countess of Pembroke who first gave orders for one of them. It seems they first appeared about 1750 and were generally made in mahogany. They do not seem to have
really caugla on until after 1780, when they were made with square tapering legs and followed Hepplewhite or Sheraton designs. The flaps on either side are supported by hinged wooden brackets. A drawer is usually
to be found opening at one end while a mock drawer is put at the other to give design balance.
Sofa tables are similar except that the flaps are at the ends of the table instead of the sides. Sheraton referred to the normal dimensions as being `between five and six feet long and from twenty-two inches to two feet broad!’ The most serviceable type have two drawers and they were frequently used to write, draw or read upon.
1. Top Surface. The condition, patina and figuring of the top surface is very important. The more perfect and decorative the top surface, the more the  rating will apply. Exotic inlays and cross-banding in satinwood,
zebrawood or other prized veneers usually constitute  factors.
2. Structural Condition. Due to their rather elegant but more fragile construction, large numbers of Pembroke tables on the market have been damaged at Borne time or another. Usually it is a leg joint or loss of a caster
which causes the trouble. The rule joints to the flaps should be examined for patching because these tend to be damaged in the same way as those on gate-leg tables. Prices shown assume sound structural condition.
3. Legs. Design and proportion of legs is important. On Pembroke tables, cross-banding of the square tapering legs can constitute a  factor.
4 Drawers. A Pembroke table without a drawer  we illustrate one — is considered a severe disadvantage from a value point of view.
A Thomas Sheraton mahogany Pembroke table, the top cross-banded with herringbone bands of kingwood, with a rising ‘Harlequin’ section with a fall-front inlaid with ribboned festoons of flowers in scorched and green fruitwood, in the manner of Pierre Langlois, the frieze with a drawer either side and simulated drawers, on square tapering panelled legs.
The design for this ‘Harlequin Pembroke Table’ was published by Thomas Sheraton as plate LVI in his ‘Drawing Book’ (1791-94). In his notes he describes such table as “serving not only as a breakfast, but also as a writing table, very suitable for a lady. It is termed a Harlequin Table for no other reason but because, in exhibitions of that sort, there is generally a great deal of machinery introduced in the scenery”. This type was also illustrated in Hepplewhite’s Guide .
This table is of further interest in that the ’till’ is inlaid with a floral garland, knotted with a ribbon-tie, in a marquetry of many woods. This is reminiscent of the highly distinctive style of inlay favoured by the emigrant French ebeniste, Pierre Langlois.
A country mahogany Pembroke table, c.1780, in heavy Cuban wood and with no drawer. The square chamfered legs owe more to the Chippendale influence than the tapering variety normally associated with this type of table. A simple and pleasing version.
The example above of c.1790 date is perhaps one of the finest of the fine: in satinwood, with marquetry inlaid, and cross-banded with rosewood. It is on square tapering collared legs and the marquetry inlay consists of urns and naturallistic festoons of flowers.
Good quality Pembroke table in mahogany with cross-banded top edge, c.1790. The tapering legs end in elegant brass casters.
Value Points: Cross banding of top  Circular or oval shape
A Sheraton mahogany Pembroke table of c.1810, The square tapering iegs have given way to the centre pedestal, the pillar of which is fluted. The four sabre style legs which support the platform at the pillar base have typical later Georgian and Regency brass casters of decorative style. The
top is veneered in highly figured mahogany and cross-banded with satinwood, which is used for the inlaid decoration also.
A rather broad mahogany Pembroke table with slightly tapering legs of c.1790. The solid top is of a particularly finely figured wood and there is a broad boxwood stringing line under the cock-beaded drawer which is continued across the leg.
A fine quality late eighteenth century  c.1790  sofa table in mahogany and satinwood. The end supports, curving elegantly out from the vertical to end in brass casters, are particularly noteworthy.
Regency sofa table, c.1810, in mahogany with lyre-shaped end supports. The top edge is moulded as well as cross-banded.
Note. The existence or hint of the lyre motif in any form inexplicably pushes prices to the top of the range.
Mahogany sofa table of later Georgian period, c.1800. The reeded curved legs on the end supports terminate in brass paw casters.
Regency sofa table with gadrooned top edge, c.1820. The curving splayed legs on the end supports are reeded.
The sofa table above is of c.1805 date and has brass mounts and stringing. The inward curving legs are reeded. Rosewood and zebrawood were used for higher quality examples as well as mahogany. The addition of brass stringing or more detailed inlay in brass adds considerably to value.
Exotic woods and inlays …
Sofa table of slightly later date c.1810 with turned supports in conjunction with inward curving legs. This form of centre support is to be found on card and other tables of the period and is never valued as highly as the end-supported type.
Regency rosewood sofa table, c.1820, the top and flaps cross-banded in satinwood. The stringing which can be seen round the drawer fronts is of brass, and brass stringing is also used on the top and in the unusual
curving support and base. The table when extended is five feet long. The semi-elliptical support under the top is highly valued by dealers.
A library or writing table of c.1820 with turned legs on casters. The three drawers are cock-beaded and the handles are typical of those used from 1780 onwards. In this case the top is solid mahogany, but leather tops are also common.
Regency rosewood library or rent table, c.1810, with octagonal revolving top inset with tooled leather. The inlaid stringing lines are of brass.
A Victorian library table of c.1850 with a leather top. The table is of oak, with drawers at each end and false drawers in the frieze at the sides. The cabriole legs are carved with flower decoration at the knee and leaf
decoration at the foot. Similar tables for library and writing use are made in mahogany or walnut.

Oak Table of Refectory Type - Late Seventeenth Century Oak Gate-Leg Table - George I Period Mahogany Drop-Leaf Gate-Leg Dining Table

An early oak table of refectory type, c.1600. The large turned legs are connected almost at floor level with heavy stretchers. The main under frame is tenoned into the square tops of the legs and the table top consists of three or four massive oak planks. The main under frame provided a frieze for decoration and was often richly carved. The top was held in position either by under battens or oak dowels driven through the top into the under frame.
Depending on decoration and size. Larger tables are in the higher range.
A slightly more developed small oak table of the early seventeenth century, c.1630. The turned legs are less bulbous than those seen on earlier tables and the frieze provided by the under frame is panelled, to allow for
decoration. The fluting of the legs started to replace the bulb type in late Jacobean times and remained in use until after the Restoration.
Quality of carving and reeding of legs.
Mid-seventeenth century oak table  c.1650 - with column turned legs, (sometimes called gunbarrel type). The floor-level stretchers are still evident and the top is made of three thick solid planks. The frieze is quite
plain.
Late seventeenth century oak gate-leg table  c.1690  of fairly small dimensions, which could seat four people. Note the bun-shaped feet and the more developed turning of the legs.
Value points: Quality of turning on legs.
Size:  again larger tables to seat more people gain value probably following:- 6 people,8 people,12 people.
N.B. This criterion does not apply to very small gate-leg tables for side use, which command a high premium.
George III period oak gate-leg table with tapering legs ending in pad feet, c.1765. A type of table made for a considerable period throughout the mid and late eighteenth century. This example is exceptional in size and
therefore the centre section is particularly wide.
George I period mahogany drop-leaf gate-leg dining table, c.1725. The scrolled cabriole legs show the hoof foot with which the cabriole leg was originally associated, being derived from an animal form. Tables of this
type, with less refined form of leg, leading to the square ‘Chippendale’ type as with chair development, continued to be made well on towards the end of the eighteenth century.
Small oak gate-leg table of c.1670, with column turned legs but ending in square feet with a slight outward splay instead of the turned feet of our other examples. This is a simple table with plain, square section
stretchers between the legs. The joint between the flaps and centre section is of the tongued and grooved type which was superseded in the eighteenth century by the rule joint.
George III period square drop-flap mahogany gate-leg table, c.1760, with scrolled cabriole legs ending in ball and claw feet. The moulded edge of the table top is unusual and is similar to that found on some Victorian tables, with the exception that this is bolder but still detracts from the appearance.
Mid-Georgian drop-leaf table in mahogany of the gate-leg type, c.1760. The solid mahogany tapering legs end in pad feet. The main frame was often made from pine or else from oak and the centre flap secured to it by screws let in at an angle from underneath. A particular weakness with these tables is at the ends of the rule joints between flaps and centre, where part of the joint tends to split off. They make useful dining tables for the small modern home, since they can be folded away but their one defect is that of all gate-leg tables; there tend to be too many legs under the table when in use.
Late seventeenth century gate-leg table in walnut, c.1690. Note the unusual features of turned stretchers and different turning of gates and centre section legs.

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 refectory table had large bulbous carved legs which became more refined as the 17th century wore on. From the end of the 17th century onward one can trace the appearance of profuse types of table, more and more sophisticated and following the prevailing fashions.
Probably one of the most collected forms of antique furniture is the decorative side, dressing, tripod, Pembroke, sofa - in other words occasional - table. Without requiring too much durability to resist continuous use and usually extremely decorative, such tables are understandably sought after. The only exception at present is probably the folding card or tea table of ordinary ‘Chippendale’ mahogany type. These later 18th century tables are somewhat underpriced at present, whether due to the decline in card playing at home or their comparative lack of decoration, it is difficult to say. Certainly the more decorative circular versions fetch good prices: the straightforward square-legged mahogany type are not expensive and when baize lined inside, even less so.
One of the more spectacular rises in price has occurred in walnut, and now oak, dressing tables with three drawers. Small side tables generally appear to be rising rapidly in price.
As far as dining tables are concerned, the gate-leg of any period still deters by having the failing that the gate legs tend to mingle too freely with those of the people seated around it. Centre and double-pedestal tables are items still in the most demand for dining use.
Value Points
The following value points must be taken to be required as common to all the examples illustrated:-
1. Top Surface. The first thing to strike the eye about a table is the condition, patina and figuring of the top surface. The more perfect and decorative the top surface, the more will apply.
2. Structural Condition. We have again assumed this to be good.
3. Legs. Depending on the period the design, and always the proportion, of the legs must constitute an important factor in the assessment of the value of a table. Legs are of course always liable to damage and their originality, with the above points, constitutes a  factor.
An early oak table of refectory type; c. 1700. The large turned legs are connected almost at floor level with heavy stretchers. The main under frame is tenoned into the square tops of the legs and the table top consists of three or four massive oak planks. The main under frame provided a frieze for decoration and was often richly carved. The top was held in position either by under battens or by oak dowels driven through the top into the under frame.
Price Range:  Depending on decoration and size. Larger tables are in the higher range.
Mid-17th century oak table with column turned legs, (sometimes called gunbarrel type). The floor-level stretchers are still evident and the top is made of three thick solid planks. The frieze is quite plain.
Value points: Quality of turning of legs
Mid-17th century oak side table with two drawers in the frieze. Note the panelled shape of thedrawer fronts, reminiscent of chests of drawers of the period. The turned legs and square stretchers are still retained.
A slightly more developed small oak table of the early 17th century. The turned legs are less bulbous than those seen on earlier tables and the frieze provided by the under frame is panelled,to allow for decoration. The fluting of the legs Started to replace the bulb type in late Jacobean times and remained in use until after the Restoration.
Value points: Quality of carving and reeding of legs  Quality of carving of frieze

TABLES  dining, oak reproductions
A really heavy oak reproduction refectory table with primitive lion-mask carving, on six enormous carved bulbous legs. The sheer quantity of oak involved would make such a table enormously expensive to produce
today, let alone the question of the carved decoration. 1890-1920
A simpler oak ‘draw-leaf’ table on four bulbous carved legs. The stretchers have been jacked up off the ground by the addition of four square `feet’ at a later stage. The top has been panelled across the length which is considered a less attractive proposition by the trade. C. 1900
A rather unattractive oak ,refectory’ table which looks as though it has been ‘made-up’ from old pieces but the legs have turning which is plain and rather modern. No attempt has been made to ‘age’ the stretchers by
wearing down the edges.
Two oak draw tables from Maurice Adams, 1926. Straightforward, quite well-designed reproductions made to satisfy a contemporary taste for `Jacobethan’ dining rooms. Of quite high quality construction.
A cheap oak dining table, of the ‘draw’ type, on a two-pillar base derived from `Jacobethan’ but carefully ‘modernised’ to provide those streamlined, curved surfaces beloved in the late 1920s and 1930s. Note how the traditional turned ‘bulb’ on the supports have been modified into ribbed shapes of no particular beauty. The surface was originally dark-varnished with a sticky cheap ‘French polish’ which has become badly scratched. c. 1930
TABLES  work and games
A walnut combined work and writing table on turned end-column supports with scrolled feet connected by a turned stretcher. Under the hinged top there is an adjustable reading and writing flat covered with tooled
leather, and stationery compartments on each side of this flap. The drawer pulls out to provide a fitted interior and the wooden work bag below can also be pulled out for access. The figured walnut top surface, drawer and bag are inlaid with stringing lines and marquetry. The whole piece is very similar to one illustrated in the design book of C. & R. Light in 1881 but such pieces were popular throughout the mid-Victorian period. 1860-1885
A papier mach& work table inlaid with ivory and mother of pearl in floral patterns and scrolls. The design is not unlike those of the 1830-1840 period with a baluster central column and a flat base with four scrolled feet.
A walnut work and games table with inlaid chequer-board and backgammon board, on a twin-column end support stand with connecting turned stretcher. A type illustrated in manufacturers’ catalogues up to 1885.
A walnut work table of a type which was introduced in the late 1850s as an urn shape, but which had settled to this funnel or trumpet variety by the 1870s. This example is inlaid with floral marquetry and stands on
rather cocked-knee cabrioles with scrolled feet. The top has been inset with leather: this almost certainly means that the original marquetry top has been damaged and, to save expense, a new leather top has been
fitted. Damage to the top surfaces is frequent with these tables; the veneer was very thin and was easily lifted by heat or spillage of liquids. 1860-1880

TABLES  Sutherland
The Sutherland table is a 19th Century English Victorian form of gateleg table with a particularly narrow centre section. It has the virtue that when the flaps are down the piece fits into a very small space. It is thus a useful occasional table. The earliest designs are by W. Smee & Son, from 1850 with the typical twin column ending. The single stem is first shown in 1864 and an example is illustrated left.
The heavy rounded bun turned in the end column and the markedly carved feet pronounce a relatively early date. A good solid piece and not, by Victorian standards, very fussy. Booth shows a less solid but similar
example in 1864. c. 1865
Nowadays this would be a veneer merchant’s waiting room table, but to the Victorians the use of segments of exotic stained woods was just another way of making impressive furniture.    The fluting, thin line
decoration and beading suggest the date.
Square flaps are less common and the design books show several for the 1880s. This design of foot appears at that time. Spirals are shown for the late 1870s. Those here are well turned and the general quality of the
piece is high. But why make a different turning for the gates Economy c. 1880
Another late example. Black and lots of turning for the sake of it without any idea of creating an overall design. Black is so unpopular that the best thing to do is to pop it in the stripper caustic tank.

TABLES  side, early, single drawer
We have separated out lowboys or dressing tables and have defined them as having three or four drawers, while side tables are defined as having one or at most two drawers.
The types are clearly related but side or centre tables are found well back into the early seventeenth century. However, for collecting purposes (i.e. availability) they start towards the end of the seventeenth century.
A charming fruitwood side table from the end of the seventeenth century with the typical column-shaped turnings that one associates with the mid-century. The square stretchers and thick top are also part of this design. However, the ogee fretted frieze indicates a later date. c. 1680
A superb olivewood oyster veneered side table with walnut spiral twist turned legs. The wavy stretcher is veneered on the top and the facing edge. This is a classic piece of the period. Note how the design is nearly identical to that for a chest on stand, and indeed one does see well-turned side tables with very poor tops (i.e. disposed stands often partly rebuilt), but this superb geometrically laid pattern could never have been intended for anything else than a side table top. c.1680
Moving on a decade, this marquetry piece with well-turned legs shows a later form of stretcher arrangement, one that country makers seemed to prefer to the last example; at any event it was widely copied. Note the inverted acorn in the turning near the bottom of the leg. The quality of the marquetry  of green stained bone and other warm colours  is important. c. 1690
Perhaps the country variant of the twists, though attractive, are only mere imitations of the original. c. 1700
An oak variation of 841. One is tempted to say country, but the turnings are excellent quality, bold and imaginative: only the earlier type of moulding round the drawer front suggests that it was made out of the fashionable area. c. 1700
An exuberant bobbin-turned stretcher structure derived from earlier pieces, c.1660, but the thick top with shallow moulding is of later date. A very popular design. c. 1690
A William and Mary design of crossover stretcher with slightly less interesting (though by no means bad) turning. One feels that the maker got into a mess at the bottom of the last round and didn’t quite see what to do so left it. He could perfectly well have repeated the top pattern at the bottom if he had measured correctly before he started. Thick moulding on top and below drawer. c. 1710
A much simpler fruitwood version of 845. Here the stretchers are of the normal type. The top and mouldings are very much the same and so is the date. c. 1690
Shows a delightful walnut table of very high quality both in design and execution, with cabriole legs of exceptional form in which the feet are ’stepped’ and the top contained within a fold backed by a scrolled shoulder under the frieze. The drawer is inlaid with an ebony and boxwood stringing line and cross-banded in cherrywood. c. 1710
An oak table cross-banded in walnut on the top and drawer front. The cabrioles are very pronounced and end on pointed feet. The shoulder pieces fit in well and the piece has a strong sturdy look without being over muscular. c. 1740
Shows a simpler, but still very high quality, version in cherrywood throughout, with cabriole front legs ending in pad feet and having a scrolled carving inside the knee. The drawer has an ovolo lip moulding and the back legs are the straight pad-footed type. A simple cross-band, also in cherry, decorates the edge of the drawer and top. c. 1720
A high quality example in dark Cuban mahogany. Notice how the cabrioles are just that bit more
restrained when compared with the last example. (By comparison with which, incidentally, it will weigh more than half as much again). The C scroll is well designed and executed and small carved decoration is
appearing above it. Notice the quarter round moulding we saw in the lowboy section on walnut, early for mahogany. The frieze could be more exciting. c. 1740
The introduction of the cabriole leg affected all furniture and, as we have seen with the lowboys, many interesting and very collectable examples were made. The development in design is predictable and clearly seen.
A country elm piece which fails to excite. The legs are chamfered and the moulding is a broad quarter-round which is repeated on the outside of the leg. In burr elm with a good deep rich colour one might treble the price.
A pad foot example with frieze, the drawer is scratched around the edge to look like cockbeading which suggests a date a shade later than the piece might otherwise be. c.1740
New classical elegance, serpentine front and tapered legs. A reasonable quality example, almost Hepplewhite  see the small square near the bottom of the leg which is a typical feature. c. 1780
Clearly from the restrained turned legs and the moulding a product of the early nineteenth century. In this design restraint is still the keynote; is there, one wonders, just the slightest hint in the tulip-shaped top of the leg that ‘things’ might soon be happening. c. 1800

DRESSING TABLES  kneehole
A simpler walnut kneehole with herring-bone banding to the drawers. The top is quartered and cross-banded. Note that the shaped section over the kneehole space is, in fact, another drawer. Original handles. 1720-1740.
A solid yew wood kneehole with lip-moulded drawers. A fairly simple piece which will depend largely for its value on the colour and patination. A faded nut brown colour being much more valuable than a reddish tinge. Hence the wide price range.
Another mahogany kneehole, with fluted canted corners and a slide. Original handles. The photograph and lack of polish do not do it justice. Price assumes a deep rich colour. 1740-1760
There seems little doubt that this piece of furniture was evolved for bedroom or dressing room use; it has subsequently been found extremely useful as a desk. People did write in their bedrooms, of course, and we happily illustrate, in the mahogany examples, a piece fitted with both mirror accoutrements and writing paraphernalia. This is just to show that we are not prepared to be didactic; the concensus is that this is, generally speaking, an ‘upstairs’ piece, but there is no reason why it should not have been found useful downstairs as well.
Value Points: as for Chests, also if centre section pulls forwards
Here we are  an unusual but genuine fit-up under a hinged top and a false front top drawer. This mahogany piece is fitted both for dressing and titivation purposes as well as with ink-holding drawer and letter/ envelope rack inside. The drawers are cock-beaded. 1740-1760
A high quality veneered mahogany kneehole with slightly serpentine front, canted fluted corners and fluted central arch.
A solid mahogany serpentine-front kneehole on ogee bracket feet. Note that the foot has an extra facet to match the squared corner. There are in fact three main shapes of ogee feet, the most simple curves out where it meets the floor, the second is squared off just at that point but this one, the best type, has a more pronounced curve over the foot as well as the squaring off where it meets the floor.
An American block-front mahogany kneehole with characteristic ’shell’ carving over the central door. 1750-1770
A very decoratively veneered mahogany serpentine-front kneehole. One often sees early 20th century reproductions made broadly to this design. 1860-1880
An unusual oak kneehole fitted with a secretaire drawer (see below)  clearly a ‘writing’ piece. c.1750
A simple but very pleasant solid mahogany kneehole on bracket feet, with cock-beaded drawers.
A late nineteenth century mahogany kneehole in the Sheraton manner, with quarter-fan inlaid satinwood decoration in the corners of the door. There is also a slide.
A late nineteenth century carved kneehole desk in mahogany with a gadrooned edge to the top. 1890-1920

Pillar-and-claw table

1. Matching tops and pillar-andclaw supports – reeded edges to all pieces of table top including leaves, with reeded feet, legs and pillars.
2. Plain edges to table tops and leaves, with plain pillars, sometimes octagonal or polygonal, plain legs and feet.
3. Squared cast-brass shoes, plain swivelling castors with horizontal sockets more common on period tables than lion’s paw, which is often a sign of Victorian Regency revival.
4. Four legs and not three to each pillar for the best examples.
5. No cross-bearers visible near edge of table tops – always chamfered so that they could not be seen.
6. Squared tops to pillars in same timber as the rest.
7. Patination, particularly on leaves, the depth of a hand on undersurface of table top where table and leaves have been handled.
8. Grain of tops and leaves running parallel with rule
joints, not down the length of the table in any part.
9. Ring turning on pillars above leg joints.
10. Height of table, 2 ft 4 in.
Likely restoration and repair
11. Mismatched tops and pillars: reeded with plain, or vice versa, means a marriage of more than one table. Even if correct period, worth considerably less.
12. Replaced pillars from later bulbous Victorian shapes, cut down and reeded. Reeding will be rough, no patination in grooves.
13. Replaced legs and feet: ring turning may be directly above leg joints where wedge dovetail has been recut.
14. Bearers visible too near edge of table: top cut down from
larger size.
15. Bearers not chamfered indicates new top or replacement.
16. Edge moulding rough, no patination indicates Victorian machine-carving cut away.
17. Carved edges to tops and leaves indicates later Victorian table tops. Period tables were undecorated except for reeding or thumb moulding.
Historical background
The method of supporting table tops with one or more central columns on splayed legs was the natural development of the tripod table, combined with the great strength of mahogany. The greatest innovation in the design was that an extra leaf could be supported on the rule-join of the two endpieces, with nothing more than bolt-and-fork fastenings and no supporting pillar beneath it. This had obvious advantages for seating arrangements, as legs and chairs did not have to contend with a forest of uprights below the table.
The best examples of the pillar-and-claw construction are those with pillars terminating in four splayed legs rather than three. The square base of four legs suited the more symmetrical style of the Regency period and the whole appearance of these tables is characteristic of the ‘Sheraton period’ of simple, undecorated,
glossy mahogany, with smooth tapering lines and restrained reeded decoration. Dining tables of this period were designed to set off the quantities of silver, crystal and porcelain reflecting light from chandeliers and table candles –hence the emphasis on richly veneered surfaces.
Brass shoes and castors are an integral part of the design of pillar-and-claw tables –sometimes with lion’s paw feet but more often a simple squared shoe was preferred, with the castor horizontally beneath it.
Pillar-and-claw tables are sometimes known as pedestal tables, but strictly speaking the pedestal was a solid affair without separate splayed feet and belongs to a later period. No pillar-and-claw table measures less than 4 ft across and their height is always 2 ft 4 in. The smallest pillar-andclaw table measures about 9 ft long with the extra leaf inserted.
Construction and materials
The function of the table demanded a massive, heavy mahogany. San Domingo or Cuban mahogany was also used and is nearly always darkened from rich chestnut brown to deep gloss with age and polishing. Each piece of table top was cut from a single piece of timber, planed and rubbed with brick dust or sand until perfectly smooth, and then oiled and polished with beeswax until it shone like silk.
Legs fitted into the pillar on the same principle as the tripod table construction – each curving splayed leg dovetailed into the base of the pillar with a wedge dovetail, glued and clamped for extra strength.
Pillars ended in a square platform of the same piece of timber, and were mounted between chamfered bearers under the table top. There was a hairline join between the two halves, a fixed top
and extra leaves, with rule joint and bolt-and-fork fastenings below the table top on either side. Large spans had additional bolt-and-fork fastenings further towards the centre. With all extensions, the progression of numbers is: two pillars with one extra leaf, three pillars and two extra leaves, four pillars and three extra leaves or five pillars and four extra leaves.
Detail
The tables were always solid –never veneered – because of the potential damage from spillages and hot dishes, which could lift veneer. The edges to tops were plain, as were the circular pillars with their narrow band of ring-turning above the leg joints; legs were also plainly shaped. One sometimes finds reeded edges to table tops with matching reeded pillars and legs. There was no frieze to any section of the top.
Variations
Above: breakfast table, c.1800.
Below: nineteenth-century table with reeded edge and clumsy thick bearers.
The method of construction demanded the use of expensive mahogany which allowed the extra leaves to be inserted without supporting pillars, and therefore these were expensive tables used only in large houses for large numbers of diners.
Country tables of any size at this period were usually of the draw-leaf variety, descendants of the seventeenth-century draw table, with leaves at either end which slid
out from beneath the table top on bearers. By the end of the eighteenth century the two extending leaves joined in the middle under the table top when they were pushed in, and when pulled out the table top dropped into the well between them.
They were constructed with the traditional square or rectangular frame, with stretchers and plain square legs or minimal decoration.
Reproductions
Nineteenth century
Versions came in many forms, often with three-legged pillarand-claw, lion’s paw feet, indicating Victorian Regency revival. Pillars were thicker and more bulbous, with more ring-turning. Legs were curvaceous and cumbersome, with castors set on base of upward-curling feet. Victorian draw-leaf tables sometimes managed a combination of the old solid X-trestle with central stretcher, bulbous in shape and added nothing to construction. Better versions had legs which tapered inward at the top, echoing the old triangular trestle shape.
Whatever the pillar or pedestal, it has to run on castors so that it can be moved about for inserting and removing extra leaves. Thus the triangular, solid-stem of later Victorian `tripod’ based tables were not suitable. The only other period variation during the early nineteenth century was a pillar constructed of three or four pieces, clustered together to form a single support.
Twentieth century
Smaller versions (less than 4 ft wide) are still made today, and are often quite well reproduced, but in poorer-quality woods with machine finishing, sometimes even with rough undersides to the table top.
Price bands
Four-claw, two-pillar table in solid mahogany, George III and Regency, £4,000-6,000.
Three pedestals, two leaves, c.1800, £8,000-10,000.
Four pedestals, three leaves, C.1800, £9,000-11,000.
Single pedestals, rectangular, c.1840, £1,200-1,500.
Circular, c.1840, £850-1,000.
George III style reproduction, £550-750.

Folding card table

Separate tables for playing cards became popular during the reign of Queen Anne and were built on the same construction principles as gate-leg and drop-leaf tables, except
Signs of authenticity
1. Patination of whole inner surface from constant polishing of cards and hands.
2. Frieze not too deep to make sitting uncomfortable.
3. Correct height, about 2 ft 6 in.
4. Matching front and back legs of equal quality.
5. Decoration and carving always incised and not applied.
6. Patination on hinge, gate or concertina part of frame where it has been constantly handled.
7. No saw marks on bottom edges of serpentine friezes.
8. No signs of boreholes on inner front of concealed drawer where handles have been
removed and veneered over.
9. On concealed drawers, patination on near underside where it has been pulled out from beneath.
10. Drawers lined with oak.
11. Cross-cut veneer framing to inset cloth panels on veneered tables.
12. On solid wood tables, no inset cloth panels.
13. Heavy weight for size —later, mahogany from West Africa was less dense and
coarser grained.
Likely restoration and repair
14. Inset panel of baize or even leather on solid wood tables: damaged surface planed out and panel inset — grain will run in one direction only on surround.
15. New underframe, usually gate-leg variety: side table converted to card table using original legs but new frame.
16. Serpentine frieze cut from plain frieze to increase value: frieze will be too shallow on upper curve.
17. Thumb or lip moulding around table edges: indicates top made up from small square table, usually Victorian.
that the flap folded over the top of the fixed surface. In Queen Anne and early Georgian days their playing surfaces were not always inset with baize or velvet, for these tables were also used for taking tea and were made in solid wood, either walnut or mahogany. By c.1730, however, with a proliferation of small decorative tables for many purposes, the card table was often veneered and lined with baize or velvet, its corners rounded for holding candlesticks, and the playing surface dished with small containers for counters. This type of card table often had cabriole legs, crisply carved with a scallop shell, acanthus or lion’s mask, and although not necessarily made en suite with chairs of the period, are recognizably contemporary.
The best card tables of the Georgian period have both back legs on hinges which swing out to support the flap, using the same construction as the drop-leaf table, or have both legs on a separate frame which either slides out or opens out with a concertina action. It is sometimes said that the back legs of card tables are of poorer detail because when not in use they stood, like side tables, against a wall. This is debatable, since when in use card tables were free-standing and all four legs were equally important.
Folding card tables were frequently made in pairs, but it is extremely rare to find that the two have remained together undamaged over such a long period of time.
Construction and materials
Card tables were made with several different methods of construction to enable the folding flap to be supported. The earliest method was the same principle as the gate-leg table, with both back legs swinging out on wooden hinges to an angle of 45 degrees so that the back legs squared up with the front legs. From c.1760 many card tables had a separate sliding frame, on to which the back legs were attached, and which pulled out on runners to extend to double the width, and so support the table top. From c.1780 a novel hinged wooden concertina action doubled back on itself to fold neatly into the underframe. Many card tables had a single drawer in the frieze, concealed and without handles from c.1770 onwards.
Detail
Card tables were either rectangular, with elliptical corners to hold candlesticks, or demi-lune opening to a circular table. From the middle of the eighteenth century, in line with fashionable design, many were made with serpentine shapes. The round-cornered rectangular shape and the elongated demi-lune opening to an oval are both of later date.
Early versions had simple cabriole legs and pad feet to c.1740, after which they were more richly decorated with carved scallop shells, acanthus leaves, lion masks, and ball-and-claw feet. Until c.1770, edges closed flush and were undecorated. From c.1770 many were made with carved and fretted decorations to legs and frieze.
Because of their function, card tables had to be smooth with an unbroken surface. The display sides of the flaps were sometimes discreetly veneered, or inlaid with featherbanding or small panels of decorative marquetry, and always edged with cross-cut veneer.
Variations
Almost all country versions continued to be made on the old construction principles long after mahogany and better-quality tables were constructed with improved methods, using screws rather than nails, brass rather than steel hinges, and drawers on runners. Mortise-and-tenon joints and dowelling, drawers sliding on a single bearer, no lock rail above the drawer in the frieze were characteristic.
They are found in a variety of woods: oak, simply made with plain straight legs, undecorated with no moulding or carving to table edges; also in oak and elm, preferably with oak table top and flap, and in elm and fruitwood. If in fruitwood alone, there was minimal decoration and legs were chamfered down the backs.
Pairs: Matching pairs of card tables are worth considerably more than singles. Sadly all too often one of them is a recent copy of the original. The clue is to turn them upside down. There is no way of matching age and patination on a new underframe. Where a skilful hand has been at work, patination and marks may be there, but a carbon copy of the genuine one — an impossibility on a true pair.
Above right: D-shaped folding card table of late Georgian style, a type much copied in the late Victorian and Edwardian period. Left: Sheraton period demi-lune in light mahogany veneer.
Reproductions
Nineteenth century
Satinwood demi-lune card tables of Adam style have a more fragile construction and are of later date. Card tables were largely supplanted during the Regency period by ‘games tables’ with fitted compartments, drawers for backgammon, chequers, chess, etc., and the circular `loo’ table named after the fashionable card game of the day.
Many card tables in a poor state of repair have had their flaps removed, their back legs fixed to the frame and have become side tables.
Twentieth century
Edwardian reproductions of later satinwood tables are the most common, and are often known as ‘bridge’ tables. Few variations or reproductions are in solid woods — most are veneered, and their construction is far more flimsy than the thick-timbered solid-framed.
Price bands
Queen Anne, walnut, £5,000+.
Georgian solid walnut, hinged leg, ball-and-claw feet, £1,300-1,800.
Same period and design, with concertina action, 11,500-1,900.
Sheraton period, 12,100-3,500.
D-shape, early nineteenth century, £800-1,200.