William and Mary Period Carved Wood Table - A George I Period Table - A Virginian Walnut Table

Another walnut card table, c.1720, of the early eighteenth century with graceful cabriole legs decorated with shell motif on the knee and ending in ball and claw feet. The shaping for candle stands at the corners is
clearly shown, as are the inserted cups for counters.
William and Mary period carved wood table, c.1690, decorated with gilt and gesso. The decoration of furniture by gesso was done in order to economise in carving by giving a pattern in slight relief without the need to carve it. It was a rich man’s style and comparatively small quantities were made, chiefly small tables and mirror frames. The style appears to have had a relatively short duration, from 1700 to 1735.
A George I mahogany card table, c.1725, showing the candle stands and cups for counters similar to the walnut tables of an earlier period. The bold cabriole legs end in ball and claw feet and the shaped frieze has an echo of the shell motif about it. Tables of this kind in mahogany continued to be made into the second quarter of the eighteenth century.
A card table of Queen Anne period with fine cabriole legs, c.1710, ending in ball and claw feet. The knees show the shell and pendant husk motif, having a C scroll on the inside edge. Note the shaping at the corners.
The usual covering was green velvet or a plain polished wood surface as above. The method of extending the table, which folds to a side table when not in use, is of the ‘concertina’ action type. The cabriole legs are
‘hipped’ at the top i.e. continue above the line of the frieze in a scrolled shape.
Quality of hipped cabrioles, shell motif, bold ball and claw feet
A George 11 period card table, c.1730, in mahogany with shell motif on the cabriole logs. The shaped corners for candle stands are retained but the frieze is straight.
Price Range: 175  250
A George I period table, c.1725, in oak, the tapering legs ending in pad feet. A side table which could be put to use for cards or other occasional use. The space behind the frieze is used for storage. The top flap has
clearly been damaged at the side hinge and reversed to hang down behind the table. Originally it would have been flat, on the top of the table.
A George II mahogany side table, c.1740, elaborately carved on the frieze with a lion mask and acanthus leaves. The cabriole legs have lion masks carved on the knees with ribboned flower heads and terminate in ball and claw feet. The top is a marble slab.
fora single table
A George II period games table, c.1730, in mahogany with turned tapering legs ending in pad feet. The inner right-hand back leg is on a gate which swings out behind the table to support the top when the upper flap is
opened over by means of its side hinges to produce the circular games top. This inside surface is usually covered in baize, with a broad cross-banding produced by the baize being inset into the surface. The lower flap also opens on side hinges to give access to the deep storage space behind the frieze, where gaming materials are kept. The table is a natural stylistic evolution of the walnut one ref. ST1258, and examples in solid and veneered walnut were made. Cabriole legs were also employed on same example. Note the slightly overlapping shaping at the top of the legs, sometimes extended to form a ‘fold’ at the top of the leg. The inside surfaces sometimes have ‘cups’ scooped out of them for holding the gaming counters as shown on ST1260 and ST1261.
Cabriole legs  Fold on legs
Virginian or Red’ walnut
Counter Cups
A George II, c.1740, folding top table in heavy mahogany. The cabriole legs ending in pad feet are a modification of earlier cabriole legs in that the earlier exuberance has been curbed and the leg is now much more restrained. These tables were probably multi-purpose, being used for both games and for refreshments such as tea. The left-hand back leg is on a gate, to swing open to support the top when folded over in the open position. Side hinges allow this folding action and, as with all card tables, tend to be a point of weakness or breakage over the years.
A Virginian walnut table of c.1720, with fine cabriole legs ending in spade feet. This table has lost its folding top but the centre drawer and shaping of the frieze are similar to earlier types. A provincial or country made
version of the finer examples.

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 use a
small side table with perhaps a small desk with sloping lid or mirror on it.
Since they were designed to be decorative as well as functional, dressing-tables have produced some of the most sophisticated and pleasant pieces of their periods. Their natural appeal to women of a much later
period than those of that for which they were designed has always kept them to the forefront of demand.
Dressing tables of the walnut period exhibit all the most desirable features of walnut veneered furniture: quartered tops with herringbone crossbandings; cross-grained mouldings; turned legs with early forms and
stretchers or, later , cabriole legs with scrolls, and so on. As a microcosm of period features and because of their small size, they have become very sought after and hence very expensive.
The later eighteenth century dressing tables in mahogany and country woods make no less ideal collectors pieces and hence are also greatly in demand. So far Victorian examples have not followed the analogy of
chairs and dining tables perhaps because the Victorians tended towards larger dressing tables without the same appeal.
Value points: The followingvalue points apply to the examples illustrated.
1. Top Surface. As with other tables, the condition, patina and figuring of the top surface are important. The more perfect and decorative the appearance, the more the .. factor will apply.
2. Structural Condition. This is again assumed to be good.
3. Legs. Depending on the period, the design,and always the proportion,of the legs is an important factor. Legs are always liable to damage and their condition and originality constitute a  factor if good.
A Queen Anne period dressing table and mirror set of c.1710 which are japanned in a light background with flower decoration. The table shows the typical arch shaping of the frieze and there are two acorn pendants
on the centre arch. The octagonal legs taper down to turned shaping and bun feet. The X stretcher with its scroll shaping has a central circular pedestal for a bowl. Note that the table top has a thumb-nail edge
moulding and there is a half-round or ‘D’ moulding on the front around each drawer. The mirror is described in the Toilet Mirror section.
Small walnut William and Mary period dressing table, c.1690. The top would be veneered in walnut, quartered to give a symmetrical pattern from the figure, and with a’herringbone’ or ‘feather’ inlay around it, inside the
cross-banding. The thumb-nail moulding around the top edge and indeed the decoration of the top is similar to chests of drawers of the period. A half-round moulding around the drawers is also typical. In the frieze it is usual to find a shallow centre drawer and two deep ones on either side, or two short drawers. The arched shaping of the frieze is typical. Drawer pulls are of peardrop shape in brass and on a circular or star-shaped plate, the handle being linked to a double strip of brass or iron which was passed through a small hole in the drawer front, parted, pressed down and pinned into the wood. The inverted cup form on the legs, as mentioned earlier, shows the Dutch influence, and the bun feet and shaped veneered stretchers are also typical.
Value Points: Decoration of top  Proportion of legs
Queen Anne walnut dressing table, c.1710. Note that the turned legs of the William and Mary period have now changed to cabrioles although the shaping of the frieze remains similar. The top edge moulding, veneers and drawer arrangement are still in the earlier style.
Quality of carbriole legs  Original handles
Oak dressing table of c.1740. The square section cabriole legs are still of slender shape but not the most desirable form, particularly if heavy. The shaping of the frieze has become much more sophisticated. Note the top edge moulding.
Value Points: Walnut  Fruitwood
A George III mahogany dressing table with square legs chamfered at the back, c.1770. An unpretentious table whose origins are clear from previous illustrations and of a type increasingly popular. The top edge still retains a moulding derived from the thumb-nail but now more sophisticated with an ogee curve.
Walnut dressing table, c.1720. The rather deep full top drawer gives a slightly top-heavy effect since the cabriole legs are rather slender. The top edge moulding is a refined thumb-nail type. The top veneer is quartered and cross-banded-, the drawers are edged with cock-beading and have a feather or herringbone cross banding. The handles are not original. A poor photograph which makes the piece out of proportion.
A later Georgian c.1780, country dressing table in oak. The frieze is shaped, but the slightly tapered legs hint at Hepplewhite influence. The drawers are cock-beaded and the top edge has a rather refined moulding.
Tapering legs tend to be a later feature.
George I period dressing table in fruitwood, c.1725. The arched shaping of the frieze is similar to that of earlier periods, with the projecting lip moulding or cock-bead around it. The heavy thumb-nail top edge moulding of the earlier period is now more refined. The tapering legs ending in pad feet are simpler than the cabriole but retain an elegance and proportion of design in a particularly English leg form. The handles are not original.
Later Georgian, c.1770, country dressing table in walnut and fruitwood. The three drawers in the frieze are cross-banded in fruitwood like the top, which is veneered in plain straight grained walnut. The legs are elm.
A satinwood dressing table of Sheraton period, c.1795, with mirror which folds flat to lie under the folding top. Similar designs for shaving tables and lady’s cabinet dressing tables of involved character are to be found, but this is one of the more popular designs of the period.
Value Points: Satinwood ….
Original Mirror
A mahogany dressing table of c.1820, with replacement handles. The square tapering legs and rectangularity of design reflect a Sheraton influence. The black stringing lines around the top and the drawers and frieze
are often identified with this period. Useful also as occasional writing tables, these pieces are understandably popular, as well as having a simplicity of design which allows them to blend easily with modern decor.

Tripod Table of Mid-Eighteenth Century - A Georgian Mahogany Dumb Waiter - A Papier-Mache Tea Table - Early Nineteenth Century Tripod Table

The tripod table is not strictly speaking derived from the candle stand in our illustration above, but it is possible to trace the influences derived from it. This stand, c.1670, is of walnut, and was made originally for
holding a light. The octagonal top has a moulding round it which is typical of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century walnut period, and the twist turned stem represents a high degree of technical accomplishment.
A mahogany tripod of mid-eighteenth century  c.1750. The top is dished to give the rim around it, and the plain column is of pleasing simplicity. The mahogany used is of the heavy Cuban variety, very dark in colour.
Note the development of the height of the legs, becoming bolder.
A Chippendale style mahogany tripod table, c.1760. The top shows the `pic-crust’ edging which requires a high degree of craftsmanship, since the whole top is made in one piece. The stem is fluted down to the carved bulbous vase and the legs, with shell and pendant decoration on the knee, end in ball and claw feet. Note the scroll on the inside of the knee of the leg. One of the most ornate and decorated examples of this type.
A walnut stand of the early eighteenth century. The octagonal top ,again has the moulded edge of the period and is veneered in figured walnut base of the stand is now lifted off the floor by the three curved feet of
square section.
A Mahogany tripod table of c.1760 with a ‘bird-cage’ gallery beneath the top. The pillar is a fine simple form and the bold set of the legs is typical of the better and earlier Georgian tripods. The use of the gallery
construction ensures that the top can both tip up when not in use, and yet revolve when in the position shown. A wedge locks the top and gallery to the column, so that the removal of this wedge enables the whole top to be lifted off the base.
The best quality pieces have a top made from a single piece which preferably is dished to leave a moulded or ‘pie-crust’ carved edge (see Reference No. TT1383). The example above has a plain top but made from a
single beautifully figured piece of mahogany. Originally used for tea or supper and for setting out the new china tea services.
Another tripod mahogany table of c.1790, with similar stem, but the legs now flattening in curve slightly. The rounded curves are modified by the chamfered edges and more pointed design.
Tripod table of c.1790, with baluster turned stem and chamfered legs.
Tripod mahogany table, c.1790, of larger dimensions  the top approximately two feet, nine inches in diameter. Note the spirally fluted vase at the base of the tapering column stem. Until recently these were more difficult to sell, being too large for occasional or wine table use. Now they are rising in price and being used as tea tables or small dining tables.
A Georgian mahogany dumb waiter of c.1770, with finely crusted carved edge to each tier, and well-balanced pillar and vase shapes to the stem. Note the casters under the feet; a feature often found on dumb waiters
since they were, of course, designed for movement like Canterburys.
Typical eighteenth century tripod table in mahogany, probably dating from 1760 - 80. The legs have now become almost aggressively higher and bolder in curve. The tapering column has the bulbous vase at the base.
Late Georgian mahogany dumb waiter of c.1790, in which the upper tiers are of the folding flap type. Dumb waiters were used from the early eighteenth century onwards and were generally placed near a table so that
guests could help themselves without the need for servants to stand in attendance. Sheraton includes them in his Cabinet Dictionary but the designs are rather complicated.
Value points: Elegance of tripod base
Fruitwood tripod table, twenty-seven inches in diameter, c.1800. Note the rather abbreviated feet and the fact that it has been necessary to use several planks to make the top, due to the lack of width in fruitwood
trees.
Early nineteenth century country tripod table in mahogany, c.1820. The legs are in the reverse type of curve, but the stem shows the rather bulbous turning that heralds the Victorian period.
Early nineteenth century tripod table with rectangular top, c.1840, of a type expanded in size to produce a breakfast table. This smaller size could be used as a supper table and, being of the tip-up type, was useful in smaller rooms. The wood is generally mahogany and the legs and stem exhibit the same characteristics as dining tables of the period.
Yew wood tripod table, c.1800. The legs are better proportioned than the fruitwood example, although they show the steep outer curve of the later period. The top again is several planks, but yew is a wood which is
always more highly valued.
mahogany of c.1840, with hexagonal column. The top is A
veneered in plain mahogany on pine, but the column is solid. The tripod base has now become a flat one like others of the period, without legs and raised on turned knob feet.
A papier-mache tea table of c.1850, japanned and painted and with mother of pearl inlay. The baluster turning of the column is fairly typical and although this example has taken a list to starboard, some idea of the decorative value can be obtained. The outer painted decoration and that on the column and base, now faded, were originally gilt.
A cricket table. There are various theories as to why they are so-called, but it is most probable that they were used in village pubs on the green, where one could sit watching the game. They were made in oak or elm, from the eighteenth century onwards.
Later nineteenth century version of the tripod table  c.1860. The tripod legs have actually vanished and all that remains is the triangular shaped flat base with its three turned feet. The stem is now thoroughly overturned with far too many bulbs and vases.

Antique Work Table - A Regency Work Table in Mahogany - A Victorian Walnut Work Table

Work tables for use by ladies, with space for needlework materials in a well below were a later 18th century phenomenon and were made in a variety of forms. We have illustrated some typical examples and have
included a number without the silk bag but with small drawers instead. It can be mentioned that Sheraton illustrated some designs, as did Gillows. In the Regency period and after, some very elaborately decorated
designs appeared in a variety of styles; the later Victorian type of octagonal form, with tapering well, supported on a tripod base, have recentlybecome popular and are being sold in a range from 15-25 depending on the veneered surface decoration.
A Regency work table in burr walnut with side drop flaps and three drawers, on Disneyesque paw feetwithreeded scrolls. Under the lowest drawer a slide acts as a drawer frame for the pleated silk bag.
Value points: Burr walnut
A Regency mahogany work table with drop flaps and a centre drawer with work bag sliding beneath. The end supports consist of two turned columns on raised feet and a turned stretcher, in the style of the columns
connects the two.
Figured woods and inlays  Quality of turning
A Regency yew wood work table on a turned baluster stem and four carved feet ending in brass paw casters. An unusually circular piece, which, had it been in any other wood than yew, should not have been priced at
more than 50.
An early Victorian mahogany work table with folding top, two drawers and silk bag on slide. Supported on an octagonal centre column on shaped platform on turned flat bun feet.
A late Georgian mahogany work table with three shallow drawers, inlaid with boxwood stringing. Note here again the slightly ‘bamboo’ effect in the turning of the tapering legs.
Choice of figured woods and inlays Quality of leg turning
A simpler mahogany work table of the later Georgian or Regency period. The turned legs are simply executed and the mahogany is not greatly figured. The casters are original.
Figured woods and inlays … Quality of leg turning
A Regency period work table on tripod stand, in mahogany. There are two flaps, Pembroke table style, which can be supported on brackets, to give greater surface area to the top. The two drawers open at the visible
end; on the other end two mock drawer surfaces are included to give balance.
Elegance of tripod stand  Choice of figured woods and inlays
A Regency work table in mahogany with three drawers veneered in figured wood. The centre column is turned and carved with leaf pattern. The four carved legs end in paw feet on casters. Note that the drawer fronts are cross banded.
A japanned and painted work table of c.1840. It is constructed on the Pembroke table principle with two side flaps which are supported by small hinged wooded brackets. The drawers are cock-beaded.
Quality of painted decoration …
Mother of pearl inlays
A Victorian walnut work table of c.1860 date. The octagonal top lifts to give access to a compartmented interior and the tapering central column is hollow to allow for storage of wools. It is raised on carved cabriole legs. Usually the tops of such pieces are veneered with a thin sheet of decorative burr, but mahogany and rosewood examples with variations exist. Marquetry inlaid tops are also fairly common in the walnut varieties.
The lids usually made of cheap pine on to which the mahogany was veneered, often warped and, therefore, do not close properly.

Antique Mahogany Tripod Table - Tripod Tea Table - Regency Rosewood Library  Table

The principle role of tripod tables has been as wine or occasional tables for social use. As a piece of furniture a tripod table of small size is decorative and useful in this respect but easilyknocked over and liable to damage. Many of the tripod tables for sale in shops nowadays are marriages of top and base from different origins for this reason. The tripod legs, keyed into the central column, are also easily damaged and the joint split due to an excessive weight being placed on the table. A metal spider is often screwed under the base to reinforce the legs against this.
The original method of securing the top was by two parallel bearers hinged to fit on to the squared top of the stem. Sometimes a gallery or ‘bird cage’ was used and this, being regarded as a mark of quality, tends to
add to price. By placing a weight too near the edge of the table it is possible to damage the top fixingalso and many of these have had to be repaired.
To detect a ‘marriage’ examine the underside of the top for old screw holes or marks of previous bearers. Although successful unions do take place there is usually a loss of proportion and relationship between top and base. Do not be misled, in country versions, by talk of country craftsmen using one wood for the top, another for the stem and another for the legs. Although this may have happened it was not nearly so widespread as the subsequent repairers would have us think.
Value in tripod tables is dictated by the same considerations as those of other furniture; quality of craftsmanship, proportion, colour and choice of wood, polish and patination. Above all , originality is to be prized as much as structural condition.
Regency rosewood library or rent table with octagonal revolving top inset with tooled leather. The inlaid stringing lines are of brass.
Large Regency period dining table of extendable type with leaves which are inserted in the centre section to provide greater seating capacity. A type of table now somewhat reserved for board rooms and public
banqueting halls but which nevertheless follows the development of the earlier Georgian type with two ‘D’ ends between which leaves could be inserted. This table would seat approximately 20 people.
N. B. It is interesting to note that ten years ago such tables were hard to sell and often cut up for the good quality wood of which they were made.
The tripod table is not strictly speaking derived from the candle stand in our illustration above but it is possible to trace the influences derived from it. This stand is of walnut and was made originally for holding a light.
The octagonal top has a moulding round it which is typical of the late 17th and early 18th century walnut period and the twist turned stem represents a high degree of technical accomplishment.
A mahogany tripod of mid-18th century. The top is dished to give the rim around it and the plain column is of pleasing simplicity. The mahogany used is of the heavy Cuban variety, very dark in colour. Note the
development of the height of the legs, becoming bolder.
A mahogany tripod supper-table of c. 1750. The scalloped top is decorated in the centre with leaf carving. This illustration is in fact a reproduction and the centre column turning is not perhaps of as beautiful a design as the top should be supported on.
A walnut stand of the early 18th century. The octagonal top again has the moulded edge of the period and is veneered in figured walnut. The base of the stand is now lifted off the floor by the three curved feet of square section.
A tripod mahogany tea table of c. 1760 with fluted column and scalloped edge carved with shell patterns.
A Chippendale style mahogany tripod table. The top shows the .’pie-crust’ edging which requires a high degree of craftsmanship, since the whole top is made in one piece. The stem is fluted down to the carved bulbous vase and the legs, with shell and pendant decoration on the knee, end in ball and claw feet. Note the scroll on the inside of the knee of the leg. One of the most ornate and decorated examples of this type.
Typical 18th century tripod table in mahogany, probably dating from 1760-80. The legs have now become almost aggressively higher and bolder in curve. The tapering column has the bulbous vase at the base.
Late 18th century tripod table with baluster turned stem and chamfered legs.
Fruitwood tripod table 27″ in diameter. Note the rather abbreviated feet and the.fact that it has been necessary to use several planks to make the top due to the lack of width in fruit-wood trees.
Another tripod mahogany table of 1770-90 date with similar stem, but the legs now flattening in curve slightly. The rounded curves are modified by the chamfered edges and more pointed design.
18th century tripod mahogany table of larger dimensions - the top approx. 2ft. 9in. in diameter. Note the spirally fluted vase at the base of the tapering column stem. Until recently these were more difficult to sell, being too large for occasional or wine table use. Now they are rising in price and being used as tea tables or small dining tables.
18th century yew wood tripod table. The legs are better proportioned than the fruitwood example although they show the steep outer curve of the later period. The top again is several planks, but yew is a wood which
is always more highly valued.
Early 19th century tripod table with rectangular top, of a type expanded in size to produce a breakfast table. This smaller size could be used as a supper table and, being of the tip-up type, was useful in smaller rooms.
The wood is generally mahogany and the legs and stem exhibit the same characteristics as dining tables of the period.
A rather delicate tripod table of c. 1800. The top is octagonal and painted - in line with other furniture of the Sheraton period. Note that the legs are now in a reverse curve from previous styles.
Later 19th century version of the tripod table - the tripod legs have actually vanished and all that remains is the triangular shaped flat base with its three turned feet. The stem is now thoroughly over-
turned with far too many bulbs and vases. Early 19th century country tripod table in mahogany. The legs are in the same reverse type of curve as the previous example, but the stem shows the rather bulbous turning
that heralds the Victorian period.

Georgian side table - George I mahogany card table - George III mahogany gate-leg table

A George I mahogany card table, showing the candle stands and cups for counters similar to the walnut tables of an earlier period. The bold cabriole legs end in ball and claw feet and the shaped frieze has an echo of the shell motif about it. Tables of this kind in mahogany continued to be made into the second quarter of the 18th century.
George I period mahogany drop-leaf gate-leg dining table. 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 18th century.
George I period table in oak, the tapering legs ending in pad feet.
A side table which could be put to use for cards or other occasional use. The space behind the frieze is used for storage.
George I period dressing table in fruitwood. The arched shaping of the frieze is similar to that of earlier periods, with the projecting lip moulding or cock bead around it. The heavy thumb-nail top edge moulding of the earlier period is now more refined. The tapering legs ending in pad feet are simpler than the cabriole but retain an elegance and proportion of design in a particularly English leg form.
George III period square drop-flap mahogany gate-leg table 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.
Value points: Quality of legs  Seating capacity 4.
A George II mahogany side table elaborately carved on the frieze with a lion mask and acanthus leaves. The cabriole legs have lion masks carved on the knees with ribboned flower heads and terminate in paw and ball
feet. The top is a marble slab.
Oak dressing table of c. 1740. The square section cabriole legs are still of slender shape but not the most desirable form, particularly if heavy. The shaping of the frieze has become much more sophisticated. Note the top edge moulding.
George III period oak gate-leg table with tapering legs ending in pad feet. A type of table made for a considerable period throughout the mid and late 18th century. This example is exceptional in size and therefore the centre section is particularly wide.
Later Georgian c. 1770 side table similar to the previous example, with elm top and fruitwood legs. Note there is no lock rail under the top. The square Chippendale style legs are chamfered at the back and the front
corners have the scratch moulding down the edge to lighten them. The drawer front is elm.
A later Georgian country dressing table in oak. The frieze is shaped, but the slightly tapered legs hint at Hepplewhite influence. The drawers are cock-beaded and the top edge has a rather refined moulding. Tapering legs tend to be a later feature.
Later Georgian side table of c. 1760. The ‘Chippendale’ straight chamfered leg has replaced the earlier pad feet. The top edge still shows a variant of the thumb-nail moulding but is heavier. As well as being chamfered on the inside the legs show a ’scratch’ moulding down the front corner, as seen on chairs, to give a further lightness to the effect. By now the lock rail is evident under the top and the
drawer thus comes below this. Country versions might still omit the lock rail however and have pegged tenon joints.
Later Georgian - c. 1770 - country dressing table in walnut and fruitwood. The three drawers in the frieze are cross banded in fruitwood like the top, which is veneered in plain straight grained walnut. The legs are elm.
Mid-Georgian drop-leaf table in mahogany of gate-leg type. 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 awaybut their one defect is that of all gate-leg tables; there tend to be too many legs under the table when in use.
A George III country solid walnut side table on tapering legs ending in pad feet. The flap is supported when open by a gate leg. The top and flap are made of several planks.
A very fine quality Chippendale card table c. 1770. The edge of the frieze is gadrooned and this effect is followed down the corner edges of the legs. The edge of the top is also carved. The wood is mahogany.
A fine Adam circular table possibly for a centre or library use. The rosewood top has a wide satinwood cross banding inlaid with flower heads and cables. A large circular medallion in the centre is similarly inlaid. The
four round tapering fluted legs support the table, which has a frieze finely inlaid with satinwood urns, oval medallions and swags.
Value points: Quality of decoration

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

17th century oak gate-leg table -  William and Mary period side table - Walnut side table - William and Mary period carved wood table

One of the chief innovations of the Stuart and Commonwealth period (1603-60) was the gate-leg table. It appeared in Jacobean times but was perhaps not fully developed until after 1650. The turned leg was
predominantlya Commonwealth innovationand the plain column turning shown in the example above is typical of the period although the design continued for many years. Early Gate-leg tables were
made of oak, walnut or oak with elm tops. The example above is the latter. There are about twelve different types known, some being very rare. The number of legs varied from four to twelve and size from verysmall
side tables to fully-blown diningtables to seat twelve people. The stretchers on many were left square, as above, with the two top edges relieved by a slight bead mould. On other and richer examples the stretchers
were turned, not always to match the legs. All framing joints are mortice and tenon, with oak dowel pegs: in the mahogany gate-leg tables of the 18th century the joints were not pegged, as glue was then used and
framing was cramped while it set. If design and size permitted a drawer was fitted set in the under framing, having a special carriage and runner made of a horizontal slat of oak, fixed longitudinally in the drawer
space. The bottom of the drawer then slid on this; side bottom runners are known, but are rare. The top centre section was held on by oak or walnut dowels until the 18th century, when screws were put through the underside of the framing to secure it.
Value points: 6 seater  8 seater  12 seater
Late 17th century oak gate-leg table, of fairly small dimensions, which could seat four people. Note the bun-shaped feet and the more developed turning of the legs.
Size: - again larger tables to seat more people gain value probably following:-
4 people 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.
Small oak side table c. 1675. The simple column turning of the legs and the stretchers is of the same type as the gate-leg table illustrated earlier. The top is fixed to the framing with oak dowel pegs. The two drawers
fit tight under the top without a lock rail in the framing. Note that there are now simple bun-like feet under the square leg-stretcher joints, which lift the stretchers slightly higher off the floor. On original undisturbed
pieces the dowels protrude abovethe level of the surface (stand proud).
A William and Mary period side table, of a type generally found in walnut, but also frequently decorated with marquetry. The serpentine X stretcher is also found on earlier tables, but the inverted cup form on the turned
legs is more generally associated with William who brought over Dutchcraftsmen from whom this form originates. The legs would be in solid walnut whereas the top, sides, drawer front and stretcher would be
veneered.
Price Range: Marquetry
Walnut side table of the post ‘Restoration’ period c. 1680. The twist turning so popular to the Restoration period continued to be used on the legs and stretchers of tables though simple turning ’still persisted. Walnut was by far the most favourite wood though oak by no means went out of use. While the legs and bun feet are solid walnut, the top and drawer fronts are veneered. The veneered stretcher is Y shaped at each end,
connected by an oval widening - intended for a bowl. It is more common to have one drawer only and the best examples would be inlaid with marquetry panels.
A William III side table inlaid with seaweed marquetry. The thumDnail moulding is ebonised. The double-scroll legs of square section are particular to this period and not to everyone’s taste, but the stretcher form and flat bun feet are typical. Seaweed marquetry of this quality demanded a high degree of skill and such pieces are
increasingly rare.
William and Mary period with arched A solid walnut side table of drawer. The X-shaped stretcher is shaping of the frieze below the
well illustrated and the heavy turning and bun feet are typical. Note the thumb-nail top edge moulding.
Value points: Proportion and quality of leg turning  Shaping of frieze
William and Mary period. The baluster turning of the legs shows later characteristics but the country maker has retained the square stretchers and construction from an earlier period. Note the drawer fitting tight under the lock rail and the square, pegged tenon joints. This type of table was made well on into the late 18th century.
Value points: Walnut  Fruitwood
William and Mary period carved wood table,decorated with gilt and gesso. The decoration of furniture by gesso was done in order to economise in carving by giving a pattern in slight relief without the need to carve it. It was a rich man’s style and comparatively small quantities were made, chiefly small tables and mirror frames. The style appears to have had a relatively short duration, from 1700 to 1735.
A William III Walnut Card Table,the oval folding top veneered outside and inside with burr -walnut, cross banded and with herringbone lines, the shaped frieze with three small drawers, on six tapering octagonal legs including two rear gate-legs, united by stretchers, and with turned feet.

TABLES  occasional, centre
A walnut centre table inlaid with a marquetry panel and with ormolu mounts. Very similar to the writing table 582 and, again, made in a French Louis XVth style of perennial popularity. Not as high quality as 582 but
nevertheless still a well-made and very decorative piece. 1860-1890
A centre table of Reformed Gothic character from Blackmoor House, c.1872 (see British Furniture, 1880-1915 by Pauline Agius, pl. 74). Possibly designed by the Manchester architect, Alfred Waterhouse, a friend of Norman Shaw. Waterhouse designed for Blackmoor, starting in 1869 and imitated Shaw’s ‘Old English’ style as used at Leyswood, which still had Gothic features such as the gate tower. The table is interesting in its construction of Reformed Gothic style and structure but incorporating half-and full suns of Japanese character and the spindled gallery. The move from Gothic to Anglo-Japanese can be perceived.
An interesting ebonised centre table with a turned spindled gallery connecting the end supports which are pierced and carved with stylised flowers and leaves. Of Reformed Gothic character but with later developments in the carving.
A mahogany centre table of rather Continental design on spun brass cup feet of a type associated with W.A.S. Benson, a designer for Morris & Co. who specialised in metalwork. The same feet are used on furniture
attributed to the firm of J.S. Henry (see British Furniture, 1880-1915, by Pauline Agius, p.94, pl. 112).
An occasional centre table of octagonal shape, in rosewood, with eight turned legs and a centre column joined by stretchers radiating from the centre. An arcaded apron also joins the legs. Possibly by Collinson & Lock. c. 1880
Another spider-like centre table with a moulded top edge, by Morris & Co. Made in mahogany. The firm produced several similar designs, available in mahogany or fumed oak. C. 1900
A six-legged mahogany centre table by a commercial firm of general furnishers. Clearly the type was popular up to 1914. Also available with only four legs.
A ‘Chippendale’ version of the octagonal mahogany centre table on eight legs. This time the radiating stretchers are pierced and fretted with scrolled work. The top edge is gadrooned. 1910-1920
An oval ‘Sheraton’ style centre table on four tapering square section legs ending in castors and connected by curved stretchers emanating from a central finial. The top is inlaid and crossbanded; there is satinwood
banding and boxwood stringing around all the normally approved edges.
Two small occasional tables of the type ideal for coffee or tea drinking in the sitting room. On the left, a scalloped top with dished edge and chinoiserie decoration, mounted on carved cabriole legs ending in hoof feet.
On the right, a segmented feather-veneered mahogany top with cross-banding, mounted on cabriole legs ending in hoof feet, with a lion mask carved at the top and a frieze also carved in bas-relief with scrolls and
shells. Nothing, of course, like these two tables was made in the periods from whose styles they have borrowed. The 20th century had advanced both comfort and practicality in arriving at the dimensions, then it has imposed the most marketable styles associated with high quality on to the design. 1920-1940
TABLES  occasional, tripod
The tripod table is an 18th century invention, probably developed from candle stands. It is still one of the most popular occasional tables and has been much reproduced.
A Victorian version of the tripod table, in walnut, with a scalloped edge in emulation of the 18th century ‘pie crust’ edge. The shaping of the column is unmistakably mid-19th century and the use of the finial below the
column is also characteristic of mid- to late Victorian furniture. The shaping of the legs is also not that associated with Georgian tripods. c.1870
A mahogany tripod table with a brass gallery rail around the circular top and decorative scrolled supports in addition to the centre column.  1900-1920
Mahogany tripod tables with moulded rims, fluted columns, reeded vases  spiral to the left, straight to the right  and elegant legs carved with acanthus leaf decoration. Essentially straight reproductions of 18th century tripod tables but looking shorter in proportion and the tops of a greater diameter than the period originals would probably have had. Good quality pieces, though. 1900-1920
TABLES  Sutherland
A walnut drop-leaf gateleg table of a type known in the trade as a Sutherland table (for some obscure reason). Made in mahogany or walnut (i.e. veneered in figured or burr walnut), these tables can be supported on a single turned column at each end, as shown above, or on a double column with spiral or other turning. There is an extra, thin, turned leg on a gate at each side which swings out to support the flap when open. They can be seen clearly above. The Victorians do not seem to have minded this rather unhappy lack of cohesion in leg design; the gatelegs often look like a pair of poles or walking sticks that someone has leant in random fashion against the frame under the flaps. The merit of the design is, of course, that the table, when folded, is very slim in end elevation and the whole is mounted on castors so that it can be tucked away neatly. The spiral grooving turned into the legs of the above example is often found on these tables.
An ebonised Sutherland table which shows very clearly how undesirable ebonised furniture looks when dusty and in poor condition. c. 1890
A similar design of Sutherland table in mahogany, with the same form of end columns and mounted on white castors. 1860-1890
A rectangular Sutherland table with spirally-turned double end supports on a simple arched foot design. The thumb-nail top edge moulding appears on almost all the tables at the time.

TABLES  centre pedestal
Not all the tables in this section started out life as dining tables by any means. Many were intended as centre tables or for occasional use, but the modern collector, with more modest space and size of household, is
happy to adopt them for dining. Indeed, many of the large extending tables used in Victorian dining rooms are now more suitable for boardrooms or for those who entertain many people at a time than for modern
dining purposes. These larger tables are dealt with in the section, TABLES  dining.
A walnut centre table on four scrolled supports which are themselves on four scrolled cabriole legs. A very popular design in the 1850s. (Smee’s catalogue shows an almost identical table, 1850.) Now perhaps regardedas a high-point of scrolled Victorian rococo, whose exuberance and frivolity snap their fingers at the stolid, classical dourness of the other prevailing styles. Not designed constructionally for heavy use but a splendid example of the genre. c.1860
An oval walnut centre table on a centre turned support and four carved scrolled supports on an X-shaped platform which is, in its turn, on four scrolled feet. This elaborate base is of a type popular in the 1850s and
1860s.
A circular walnut centre table on a gadrooned baluster column and three scrolled rococo legs. The top is veneered in sections of burr walnut whereas the base is solid. A design popular in the 1850s but still offered by various manufacturers in modified form to later dates. 1860-1870
An oval walnut table on a four-column base with four scrolled feet and a finialled circular central section. The top is inlaid with boxwood stringing and stylised foliage marquetry. Stylistically derived from the 1850s and 1860s but more likely to have been made twenty years later when this four-column version of the base was very prevalent in commercial catalogues such as C. & R. Light. 1865-1885
A walnut oval breakfast table inlaid with stringing lines and a centre marquetry panel. The designer has adopted a belt-and-braces approach in using both a centre column and four smaller supporting columns rising from the curved legs. Similar designs occur in catalogues of the 1860s to the 1880s.
A circular rosewood table in the George III manner, with a broad satinwood banding to the top and satinwood panels in the curving legs supporting the turned centre column. The top is veneered in two matched halves
of figured rosewood and the quality of execution is very high. 1910-1930
A mahogany two-pedestal rectangular dining table of Georgian design. The column-turned supports end in four curved reeded legs with brass paw castors and the table is a straightforward reproduction of one of the
most popular forms of English dining table. 1920 to present day
TABLES  centre pedestal, Gothic
The centre pedestal table was quite a favourite of the Reformed Gothic designers who adapted Pugin’s models to their own ideas. The use of structural timbers of more architectural configuration was a hallmark of the type and some of the really high-quality, roof-beamed versions in oak with inlaid tops are now very expensive collectors’ pieces.
An oak centre pedestal table with a tip-up top which is of Puginesque design, although probably not by him. The use of the grotesque carved animals’ heads and the heavily-pillared centre column, more like stonework
than wood, is typical of the use of Gothic design. Note the carved edge of the table top, with its Gothic-Islamic motif. Possibly intended as a library table and of the mid-Victorian Gothic style transitional between fanciful Regency `Gothick’ and the severer Reformed Gothic of the 1860s.
A typical Reformed Gothic octagonal centre table using ,revealed’ construction and an architectural structure to the base, following Pugin’s example. The top is inlaid and the joints are pegged, with ebony ‘dowels’ to
mark them, reiterated in the decoration of the frieze. Note also the carefully-designed handles.c. 1865
An octagonal walnut centre table on four column supports and a structural stretchered base ending in-shaped feet. The piece has all the hallmarks of Reformed Gothic design: turned collars on the columns, ebonised for emphasis; moulded stretchers connecting the heavy central crossed base with its chamfered edges; incised Gothic trefoil motifs.1865-1870
Another, very popular, design of octagonal table in which the Reformed Gothic style is marked by the heavy crossed stretchers on the base on which the four turned column supports stand. These crossed stretchers
curve downwards to form feet and, in this case, have a further stretcher between them at the base of each column.c. 1865
Put here for contrast and instruction, this octagonal pitch-pine table is still ‘Gothic’ in style but is probably ecclesiastical in origin and taken from a chapel or a church. The base looks a little out of proportion with the top. 1870-1880