Posts Tagged ‘Gateleg’

Globes
Pair of early nineteenth-century mahogany library globes by Newton, published in 1838 and 1836. The tripod frames with out-scrolled legs ending in brass castors, 3 ft 8 in high        780 0
Large pair of terrestrial and celestial globes by Newton; published 25 March 1875. Supported in mahogany frames on triple curving legs 205 0
Pair of terrestrial and celestial globes in turned stands by James
Wyld, Charing Cross East; published 1847 185 0
Knife Boxes
A pair of mahogany urn-shaped knife boxes, stamped W. Johnston, with domed lids and bodies inlaid with flowers and stripes, 2 ft 5 in high 115 0
Sheraton  inlaid  mahogany serpentine-fronted knife box in
original condition 32 0
Mirrors—Mantel
Empire-style giltwood overmantel with triple mirrored panels
and decorated with classical figures 105 0
Rectangular mantel mirror in a giltwood frame carved with
acanthus and shell motifs, 31 in by 25 in 60 0
Mirrors—Toilet or Dressing
Sheraton serpentine-fronted box-frame toilet mirror fitted with
two drawers, 17 in wide 36 0
Sheraton box-frame shield-shape toilet mirror with two drawers,
18 in wide 30 0
Mahogany box-frame toilet mirror with three drawers, 15 in
wide 15 0
Edwardian   mahogany   box-frame   toilet  mirror   with three
drawers to base, 22 in wide 9 0
Mirrors—Wall
Pair of Chinese-Chippendale giltwood girandoles of rococo outline mounted with phoenix-birds and clusters of flowers from which issue two scrolled candle branches. The base enriched with acorns and oak leaves, 38

in high 650 0
Mid-Georgian wall glass in a giltwood frame carved with scrolls
and foliage and pierced, 44 in high 200 0
Chippendale mahogany mirror with gilt gesso beading
George IV convex mirror in a gilt frame enriched with spherical ornament with two scrolled candle sconces. Crested with a gilt eagle with outspread wings 76 0
Regency giltwood convex mirror with ball encrusted moulded
frame and ebonised slip, 1 ft 11 in diameter 15 0
Settees, Couches and Chaise Longues
Small carved mahogany sofa, the arched back carved with
rococo motifs. Curved arms, carved seat rail and cabriole legs        135 0
some auction room prices ‘. 1968-69
Decorated satinwood cane-panelled settee with loose seat
cushion, 4 ft 4 in George III painted settee with flat rectangular back and arms,
on turned legs. The arms, seat rails and legs are painted
with husks and flowers on a cream ground, 6 ft wide Early George III mahogany settee with stuffed back and arms.
The seat rail and legs are carved with blind fret, 5 ft 8 in
wide, (some restoration) Victorian rosewood frame serpentine-fronted chaise longue on
short cabriole legs
Settles
Eighteenth-century oak settle, 5 ft 5 in wide Seventeenth-century panelled oak settle with box seat, 4 ft 6 in wide
Seventeenth-century carved and panelled tall-back hall settle, 5 ft 7 in wide
Sideboards
Small nineteenth-century sideboard inlaid with ebony lines. Raised back, the centre drawer flanked by a cupboard and deep drawer. Supported on six turned and tapering legs, 4 ft 8 in wide
Hepplewhite-style mahogany serpentine sideboard of rich mellow colour, cross-banded in kingwood and fitted with a napery drawer and cellaret cupboards with octagonal gilt metal handles and supported on chamfered

legs, 7 ft 2 in wide
Georgian mahogany half-moon sideboard with two cupboards to the sides and two drawers with lion ring handles in the centre. Four tapering legs, 4 ft wide
Large mahogany Sheraton-style sideboard fitted with two long drawers and flanked by two deep drawers, supported on tapering legs
Regency Empire mahogany sideboard of architectural form, with a reverse breakfront with two shallow drawers to the centre flanked by deep cupboards. Supported by two curved and four simulated bamboo legs

terminating in brass paw feet. The whole mounted with ormolu and brass griffins, lions’ masks and sphinx and with Adams-style garlands and patera, 7 ft 6 in long
Late Georgian mahogany sideboard with shaped front, the top back rail fitted with three tambour slides. Two cupboards and a centre drawer to the base over a waved apron. Supported on six slender tapering legs, 5 ft

7 in wide
Early nineteenth-century mahogany bow-front sideboard on spiral-turned legs, 6 ft 1 in wide
Tables—Break fast
Regency mahogany breakfast table with brass stringing on the banded top and a turned pillar ending in a reeded quadruped, 5 ft by 3 ft 5 in
Georgian mahogany oval breakfast table with reeded edge and
Tables—Card
Chippendale mahogany card table with shaped folding top on boldly carved cabriole legs ending in claw and ball feet, 2 ft 7 in wide 370 0
Late George II mahogany card table with border of carved flowerheads and legs and frieze carved with blind fret, 3 ft wide 250 0
Regency card table in figured rosewood inlaid with brass flowers and leaves, the D-top on a ringed stem and quadruple brass capped legs, 3 ft wide 190 0
Sheraton mahogany card table inlaid with satinwood lines and
on tapering legs, 3 ft 2 in wide 180 0
George II walnut card table with rectangular top on turned legs
with mantled knees and club feet, 3 ft wide 95 0
Regency mahogany card table with green baize interior on curving quadruple support, ending in brass claw feet. The top is cross-banded 65 0
Victorian mahogany card table with double Sap top supported
on four tapering shafts, terminating in curved legs 44 0
Tables—Centre
Regency painted centre tabic, the circular top simulating green marble, the border with brass mouldings hinged to a carved turned central support on a curved triangular base with lion’s paw feet, 4 ft diameter 120 0
Edwards and Roberts eboniscd centre table with ormolu beading on cluster column and quadruple base, 5 ft 6 in wide 38 0
Red Buhl shaped centre table with heavy ormolu mounts, two
drawers and on cabriole legs. (Poor condition) 11 0
Tables—Dining
Charles I oak dining table with a triple-plank top and the frieze carved with leaves and interlaced arcading, on column legs, 6 ft 5 in long by 2 ft 7 in wide 360 0
Large late George III mahogany dining table, the top richly carved with acanthus, ribbon motifs, satyr masks and a coat of arms. Supported on ten tapering spiral-twist legs with five loose leaves, 12 ft 4 in long 185 0
Georgian mahogany two pillar dining table with triple curving
legs ending in brass-capped feet 122 0
Georgian mahogany oval drop-leaf dining table on turned legs
and pad feet 75 0
Eighteenth-century mahogany oval drop-leaf cottage dining table
on taper legs with pad feet, 3 ft 6 in wide 44 0
Mahogany gadrooned oval dining table with cabriole legs and
claw and ball feet 40 0
Georgian mahogany drum library table with leather top and four real and four dummy drawers. On triple curving legs with brass-capped feet, 3 ft 3 in diameter 680 0
some auction room prices : 1968-69
George III mahogany library table fitted with seven drawers and dummy drawers with gilt metal lion ring handles, the top with gilt tooled green leather and the whole raised on a curved quadruple support with

brass-capped feet
Tables—Games and Sewing
Eighteenth-century mahogany, shaped folding top, games table on nutcracker frame with cabriole legs and claw and ball feet, 34 in wide
William IV games table with sliding and reversible top inlaid as a chess board opening to reveal a backgammon board with two drawers to the side. Central pillar supported on quadruple curving feet
Nineteenth-century mahogany sewing table with rising top and drawers below. The slender tapering legs ending in brass-capped feet
Tables—Gate-leg
George I elmwood gate-leg table, the oval top with flaps on
cabriole legs carved with scrolls and leaves and ending in
pointed pad feet, 3 ft 9 in wide Seventeenth-century oak oval gate-leg dining table with double
flaps supported on bobbin turned legs with plain cross
stretchers, 4 ft 9 in wide Late George II mahogany gate-leg table, the oval top with two
flaps, on unusual legs fluted and ending in paw feet, 3 ft 9 in
wide
Oak oval gate-leg table on turned underframe with drawer, 4 ft wide
Tables—Occasional
Late George II mahogany piecrust table with bird-cage support on fluted stem with carved legs and claw and ball feet, 2 ft 2 in diameter
Large mahogany piecrust tripod table with baluster stem and
pointed pad feet, 3 ft 5 in diameter Mahogany tripod table, the circular top with raised rim, on
cabriole feet, 1 ft 10 in diameter
Tables—Pembroke
Late Georgian mahogany oval Pembroke table with drawer, on
square tapering legs, 2 ft 7 in wide by 3 ft 6 in long Late Georgian mahogany Pembroke table painted with a floral
border and on turned and fluted legs Georgian mahogany Pembroke table with folding flaps and
single drawer, inlaid with satinwood lines and fan motifs, on
tapering legs, 3 ft 2 in wide
Tables—Refectory
Seventeenth-century oak refectory table of slender plain form, the base having square ends united by a single stretcher, 7 ft 3 in long
Oak refectory table on bulbous end supports with central
stretcher, 7 ft 7 in by 3 ft wide 130 0
An exceptionally long oak refectory table with triple curving
supports, 18 ft 6 in long, 3 ft 3 in wide 90 0
Tables—Side
Queen Anne banded walnut side table with two deep and two
shallow drawers on square legs, 3 ft 3 in wide 170 0
Chinese-Chippendale mahogany side table, the frieze carved with
blind fret. Moulded legs, 3 ft wide 88 0
Oak side table with drawer, on turned legs, 3 ft wide 64 0
Walnutwood side table with cabriole legs carved with acanthus
leaves 31 0
Tables—Sofa
George III satinwood sofa table cross-banded with acacia, fitted with two drawers and false drawers opposite on trestle supports with splayed curved feet and brass castors, 2 ft 10 in wide        750 0
Regency banded mahogany sofa table with tulipwood stringing with two drawers on end supports and central stretcher with brass claw feet, 5 ft 10 in extended 380 0
Late George III mahogany sofa table with two drawers in frieze and raised on flat trestle supports with out-curved legs, 3 ft 2 in wide 270 0
George III mahogany sofa table banded in rosewood and with two drawers. It has trestle supports with tripod splayed legs and brass feet, 3 ft wide 250 0
Tables—Sutherland
Mahogany Sutherland table on turned underframe, 2 ft 9 in
wide 42 0
Victorian walnut-veneered Sutherland table on turned supports,
2 ft 6 in wide 36 0
Tables—Tea
Regency mahogany tea table with folding top on a turned pillar and four curved legs, the whole inlaid with brass stringing, 3 ft wide 120 0
Late George II mahogany tea table, the top with a border of flowerheads and ribbon and the frieze and chamfered legs carved with Chinese blind fret, 3 ft wide 60 0
George III mahogany tea table with folding top, a drawer in
the frieze and square tapering legs, 3 ft 8 in wide 38 0
Tables—Wine
Hepplewhite mahogany wine table, the inlaid octagonal top
supported on triple concave curving legs 105 0
Victorian mahogany wine table on pillar and tripod base, 21 in
diameter 10 0
Tables—Writing
George III mahogany pedestal writing table, the gilt tooled leather top with three drawers at each side of the frieze and
the pedestals with cupboards and drawers at either end, 4 ft wide
Early eighteenth-century banded fruitwood writing table, fitted
with three drawers, a shaped apron and on cabriole legs with
pad feet, 2 ft 4 in wide Victorian lady’s mahogany writing table with two short drawers
on lyre end supports, 3 ft wide Carved mahogany writing table with fitted drawer, the top lined
with leather, on cabriole legs, 2 ft 5 in wide
Tallboys and Lowboys
George II walnut tallboy, the top with reeded and canted corners and three small and three long drawers. The base having three long drawers and bracket feet
Queen Anne small walnut tallboy of mellow colour, the upper chest fitted with two small and three long drawers over a brushing slide, and three long graduated drawers
William and Mary lowboy inlaid with scrolls and motifs. The top fitted with two small and two long drawers and two long drawers to the base, 4 ft 3 in high
Georgian mahogany tallboy with dentil cornice and two small and three long drawers to the top and tliree long drawers to the base which is supported on bracket feet
Georgian mahogany tallboy with dentil cornice, the top fitted with two small and three long drawers, the base with three long drawers and supported on bracket feet, 6 ft 1 in high
Waiters
Mid-Georgian mahogany dumb waiter with turned and carved columns supporting three trays. The whole on cabriole tripod feet, 4 ft high
George III mahogany dumb waiter with two revolving tiers and baluster centre on three curved and moulded legs and castor feet applied with roundels, 3 ft 2 in high
George II mahogany dumb waiter with three graduated revolving tiers and spiral fluting on turned central support. Plain cabriole legs, 3 ft 6 in high
Wardrobes
Mahogany breakfront wardrobe fitted with sliding trays, four
drawers and panelled cupboards Small Georgian mahogany wardrobe enclosed by two panelled
doors with three drawers in the base, 3 ft 9 in wide George III mahogany gents wardrobe with pierced swan-neck
cresting, a pair of doors banded in satinwood and two short
and two long drawers below, 7 ft high by 4 ft 4 in wide Regency mahogany wardrobe the upper part with sliding trays
with four drawers under on splay feet, 3 ft 11 in wide
Washstands
Late George III mahogany washstand, the top hinged and opening to form a back, the front with a pair of cupboard doors above one small drawer, on square splayed legs, 2 ft wide
Edwardian three-tier corner washstand with basin 18 0 George III mahogany corner washstand, the slender legs joined
by a stretcher with a drawer, 2 ft wide                                      14 0
Wine Coolers
Georgian inlaid mahogany sarcophagus wine cooler with lion
mask and ring handle on paw feet 65 0
Georgian mahogany octagonal wine cooler with lifting top and
short square moulded legs, 18 in wide 55 0

THE AGE OF THE DESIGNER
HEPPLEWHITE PERIOD
HEPPLEWHITE began his career as a cabinet maker
at a time when the art of cabinet making was at its ifullest tide kakiemon porcelain . The second half of the eighteenth century is often called the golden age of cabinet making, and by I- `6o, when Hepplewhite settled in business at Cripple-gate, the standard of design and craftsmanship was at its zenit1h walnut tripod tea table . The Chippendale school was still in its prime, and they was a strong group of craftsmen who had ingrained in the — a fine trade tradition, a thing which implies something more than a mere ability to use tools antique card table collectors . It means a sense of appreciation and a certain element of originality, tempered with the convention that belongs to a workshop where everything is done by hand silver tripod table .
George Hepplewhite was one of these practical men english bristol teapots . He was scarcely a designer in the sense that Robert Adam was antique english stoneware identification . He did not sit down at his drawing board and sketch out purely original designs, but his work had characteristic features that can usually be recognised andre’ japaneese porcelain . As a cabinet maker he knew his job perfectly, and, in addition, he had a keen appreciation of fine line which enabled him to give his work a certain individuality in a way that would be beyond a man of no imagination eighteenth century women dressing in front of men in their bedchamber . In this sense he no doubt influenced the trade considerably, but beyond this he simply worked in a certain style which a group of cabinet makers was following angouleme guerhard . His name has come to be attached to that style probably because of his book, The Cabinet Maker and Upholsterer’s Guide, and that was not published until 1788, two years after his death antique wooden pot cupboard .
It is apparent, then, in speaking of Hepplewhite furniture a general style popular from about 1760 until practically the end of the century is implied rather than the work of Hepplewhite himself as an individual dutch antique furniture . A great deal of furniture no doubt was made in the workshop at Cripplegate, but except in a few rare instances it is impossible definitely to identify it antique drop-leaf bread table .
Taken generally, Ilepplewhite furniture was comparatively simple antique blue glass kidney shaped end table . There were a few touches of decoration (usually applied), but even the most ornate specimens had nothing like the elaboration found in the richer Chippendale pieces english porcelain parian . Several new forms of decoration were introduced or revived, for whereas Chippendale work had little other form of decoration besides carving, Hepplewhite furniture had
FIG (chineseexportporcelaincoffeeservice) . 130 tambour commode . SHIELD BACK CHAIR french art deco porcelain jaguar .
1770-1780 spoonback armchair .
One of the finest chairs produced in the 18th century “antique collectors blog” .
For all their lightness these chairs were extremely strong art nouveau jugendstil jugs .
being made in the finest mahogany and of the best work-
manship multipurpose dressing table .
inlay, painting, and gilding in addition to carving glass table antique ceramic legs . The inlay usually took the form of bandings and strings in satinwood, rosewood, ebony, and so on, and was in fact very similar to the inlaid work usually associated with Sheraton glass boudoir lamp deco . Carving was of small classical subject, vases, festoons, draped cloth, and swags of husks, an entire departure from the elaborate scrolling acanthus leafwork of the Chippendale school duke extendable dining table .
It is perhaps in the chair that the Hepplewhite charac-
HOOP BACK
CHAIR antique empire or regency style mahogany bookcase .
1770-1780 english seventeenth century cabinets .
A favourite motif of Hepple-
whitewere the ears of wheat ball and claw tripod table antique . These appear at
the top of the pierced splat
in the back 18th century wardrobe .
11
FIG carved japanese tea table . 132 edgar brandt reproductions snake lamp . OVAL BACK
CHAIR pennsylvania house antique sideboard .
1770-1780-
The French influence is
strongly marked In this
chair world market carved brass charger plate . Except for this
French form the cabriole
leg was never used by
the late 18th century
designers antique silver sphinx .
SIDEBOARD WITH BREAK FRONT DECORATED WITH INLAY pembroke end table .
Late i8th century,
It was not until towards the end of the 18th century that the sideboard with drawer and cupboard accommodation
was made epergne antique for sale . It was evolved from the side table with separate pedestals recipe for “soft paste porcelain” . It is difficult to distinguish between
Hepplewhite and Sheraton pieces as both had a great deal in common italian deco furniture .
The Shield Back Chair
teristic is most marked de coene freres . Probably the most famous type is the shield back, of which an example is given in Fig small sutherland table . 130- A really fine example of a shield back ranks amongst the most beautiful things ever produced, but, like the cabriole leg, first-rate examples are rare antique folding “coaching table” . The truth is that it takes a first-class chair maker of considerable experience to make one properly, the difficulty being that the shaping runs in three directions 16th century english joyned table . There is the shield shape seen from the front, the backward rake, and the concave plan shape antique table turned legs . To incorporate all these to form one harmonious whole is something that calls for a great deal of skill and experience antique inlaid table birds .
As a rule the main back framing had a channelled moulding worked all round it, and the probable reason for this was that it helped to emphasise the shield shape steuben stemware deco . It will be realised that, although the lower part of the shield appears to be in one piece, it is in reality in three dresser with mirrors & teardrop pulls & ogee bracket . The side portions in fact continue down, forming the back legs, and a curved bottom rail is fitted in to complete the shape between them 18th century marquetry . By channelling the wood the shield appears to be in one unbroken piece william iv jupe extending circular . The front legs of these chairs were invariably tapered louis sue .
The chief outside influences of Hepplewhite were the Adam and the French raoul dufy, plates ceramique . Of the latter there was Louis XV, which showed itself in the cabriole leg exemplified in Fig classical work/sewing table mahogany,3 drawers,carved legs, pedestal paw feet . 132 olive green and iron red oriental porcelain . Note the French scrolled foot and the flat shaping which continues along the front seat rail in an unbroken sweep arabisque furniture in ny . Another French influence came from the Louis XVI, and one result was the use of the turned leg 18th and 19th century silversmithing . An example of this is the settee in Fig antique spoons italy silver ornate . 129 papier mache tray-c19th .
Other typical Hepplewhite chair backs are the hoop back, of which Fig antique drop leaf or gate leg tables, ,ny . 131 is an example, the oval back (Fig antique 5 leg oak drop leaf table . 132), heart shape, and that with the serpentine shaped top rail curving into the uprights mackintosh wooden chairs .
Pieces such as sideboards, writing tables, bureaux, chests of drawers, tallboys, wardrobes, and so on were, as already mentioned, extremely like Sheraton furniture, and are dealt with more fully in Chapter X curved back chair from 1940s . The bedstead in Fig french chamber pot bed tables . 129 is a four-poster, very like one appearing in Hepplewhite’s book, and shows the general restraint in treatment walnut tripod tea table .
Fig clawfoot dresser . 133 is a sideboard belonging to the last few years of the eighteenth century trestle table double column . It has characteristics of the Hepplewhite style, but there are others which belong equally to Sheraton, and, as we are dealing with what might be termed schools of design rather than the work of individuals, it is apparent that one can do little more than term it late eighteenth century antique french empire . It is probably the work of a cabinet maker whose name has not come down to posterity, and who worked in the traditional style of the period edwards & roberts furniture .
THE AGE OF THE DESIGNER
ADAM PERIOD
N one important sense Robert Adam was entirely
different from the other outstanding characters with
-whose work this book deals serpentine top breakfast table . He was an architect by profession, not a practical cabinet maker, and in turning his attention to furniture he was not in any way fettered by any convention which a tradesman might have 19century british armschairs . It is not suggested that the convention of a good trade tradition is bad ; it is one of the healthiest influences a craft can have ; but it simply is a statement of fact that Adam was able to approach the subject from a fresh angle italian inlaid tea table . He worked from his drawing board and passed on his designs to be carried out by a practical cabinet maker porcelain spanish dancers .
He had travelled a good deal in France and Italy, and on his return in 1758 he set himself up as an architect and rapidly became very successful antique furniture prohibition bar examples . As a result of his foreign studies he was influenced considerably by the classical school, but he had a strong individual turn, and as a result his work had a characteristic touch which made it different from that of other architects working in the classical style antique drop leaf table for sale . It was delicate and refined (some term it effeminate), abounding in small intricate detail, and it superseded largely the rather heavier work of such architects as Sir William Chambers “empire designer, best known for pedestal tables with curved legs .
His connection with furniture was that in designing an interior he included the furniture as an essential part of the scheme blue china tea set with silver inlay england . To the average architect the work was finished when the walls and ceiling had been decorated, but Adam required every detail, even to the ornaments on the sideboard, to harmonise with his ideas japanese portable cherry wood tea tables . Perhaps the most notable example is that of Harewood House, in which the furniture was designed by Adam and executed by Chippendale antique ball and claw desk .
Although there were marked characteristics in Adam furniture, one has to be wary in accepting a piece as genuine Adam Characteristics
Adam chinese furnture form mid 19th centuary . The fact that he had to employ practical cabinet makers, combined with his great success, soon led to a great deal of imitation simple european furniture . In fact, of all the ” Adam ” work that has survived only a very small part can be identified as owing its origin to Adam himself regency period casters .
FIG porcelaine antique motif ming . 137 louis the 14th chair . DINING TABLE WITH FLAP AND PIVOTED BACK LEG japanese laqure tea table .
Abotd 1775•
This is one of a pair of tables Intended to be placed together when used
for dining silver flatware wood handle . The front rail is in reality a drawer front brass ornaments for furniture empire style . It now stands In
the Victoria and Albert Museum South Kensington 1828 sideboard buffet .
self was an individual and original designer, ” Adam ” furniture was, for the most part, the work of a school working in his style antique wood drop leaf table .
Adam used many methods of decoration in his furniture antique oak dropleaf gateleg table . The carving had definite characteristics shearers cupboard heavy . The acanthus leafage was finer and more delicately treated than in the full scrolled form which Chippendale had favoured, and, in addition, he used chains of husks, the honeysuckle device, Greek key, vases, drapery, plaques carved with mythological subjects, rams’ heads, and grotesques antique empire furniture . Inlay and marquetry, too, were revived, and were carried out in satinwood, tulip-wood, rosewood, amboyna, harewood, and so on biedermeier antique de . The subjects were similar to those of the carving furniture designersgerman . Another form of decoration was painting in the style of Angelica Kauffman meissen porcelain antic . A popular treatment was to make these painted panels the main feature of a design of scrolling acanthus leafwork
FIG antique dishes germany pastels with scallops . 138 henry clay bed and furniture . SEMI-CIRCULAR ADAM SIDE TABLE ferniture leg in itali .
T770-1780 antique table in europe .
An extremely fine piece of cabinet work carried out In mahogany antique vase markings newcastle.. on. tyne 1762 . The
curved top rail is veneered, the grain running crosswise 17 century elm gateleg table . The centre
panel and the oval pater2e are typical features brass frame girandole images .
and husks 17th and 18th century french silver marks . In some few instances, too, Wedgwood plaques were introduced bidet square .
A typical Adam sideboard is shown in Fig lion antique mahogany dining table . 136 royal sheffield silver . Properly speaking, it is a side table with two pedestals, but the three pieces were intended to stand together and form a whole In some cases the pedestals were actually joined to the table, though the result never seems quite so successful furniture of meiji period . It gives one the impression that the three pieces were actually separate at one time and were fixed together antique silver candelabras made in england . It is true that there was a general tendency to make the sideboard a single unit, but it was only when the pedestals lost their indivi-The Adam Sideboard
duality as such that the result was really a success labels under boulle furniture . The Sheraton sideboard in Fig makers of antique tea tables . 14 wheat shaped dining table base .4 exemplifies the point furniture  finmar ltd . The origin of the pedestals can just be traced, but they are essentially a part of the design as a whole “art, nouveau”"chiparus”"deer” .
The pedestals owed their origin to the lack of accommodation in the side table andres rosewood solid wood . If one refers back to the side table of Chippendale’s time in Fig chromed trestle table leg . 11 5 it is obvious that its only use was to provide standing space on its top directoire phyfe sofa . There were no drawers or cupboards in which table furniture could be kept opalescent glass perfume france . It fell to Adam to introduce the pedestals antique walnut telescooic dining table . Sometimes they were fitted up with metal grids to enable hot irons to be placed in the cupboards, so providing ? means of warming plates The urns at the top either had metal containers in which iced water was kept, or they were fitted up to hold cutlery antique rosewood armoire with claw feet . The more ornate specimens were often carved with rams’ heads, drapery, husks, and other devices selling japanese tea tables antique .
Towards the end of the century the cabriole leg practically died right out 18th century chippendale dresser . Adam never used it upholstered wood chairs from 1930s . In most cases he preferred the square tapered leg with small square feet fashion 17th century . They were usually recessed in their tapered portion, a pendant of husks often being carved in the recess near the top old gate leg table ball feet . The leg at C, Fig second hand old oak table in staffordshire . 139, shows this detail antique ladik rug . Another common treatment was to carve a series of flutes along the length, the lower part often being filled in with reeds (see A in Fig french antique occasional tables . 139)•
A particularly fine example of an Adam dining table is given in Fig important american girandole mirror . 137 english hepplewhite dressing table . It is one of a pair napoleon antique campaign chair . In use the two would be placed together, flap to flap, so forming one large table meals in eighteenth century england . The flap is supported by a single leg made to pivot frosted glass vase with smokey streaks . Thus when not required for dining the tables could be placed flat against the wall and become useful side tables antique chinese circular revolving bookcase . The decorative treatment is well worth noting antique porclean handled sheffeld flatware . The tapered legs are fluted on all sides except one, this being carved with a crisscross design set in a recess antique table round drop leaf claw foot . At the top are paterx carved with leafwork theodore haviland 1958 pattern . The fluted top rail with the plain centre part carved with swags of husks is typically Adam english stoneware marks . He invariably introduced this centre panel french meals17th century .
An example of a small side table with turned and carved legs is given in Fig furniture cupboard design,side board,wood . 138 george hepplewhite bottle case . It exemplifies well the delicate treatment of which Adam was so fond meissen porcelain animalsfrederick augustus . Note the use of the centre panel again, this time of quite plain form see a silver sauceboat with a heated base . Other kinds of Adam legs and feet are given in Fig antique glass top tea table bird . 139•

CLOCK CASES
Up to the present we have not dealt with clocks, for the good reason that nothing in the way of a clock case was made before the second half of the seventeenth century. Earlier clocks were of what is known as the lantern type, consisting of a brass framework with turned corner pillars and a round dial fixed at the front. Of the movements of clocks there is no space to deal in this book. It would require a book in itself to explain the various kinds and the phases through which the mechanism passed. Suffice it to say that the early type were fitted with the verge movement in which he teeth of a rotating crown wheel engaged the pallets of a balance arbor. The pendulum came into use soon after the middle of the seventeenth century.
A lantern clock is shown in Fig. 89. It was intended to stand on a bracket, the power being supplied by a weight suspended by a chain. A single hour hand was fitted, pointing to numerals engraved on either a brass or silvered dial. A striking mechanism was usually fitted, the bell being mounted upon curved metal bars as in the present example. Just below it a fretted brass pediment was fitted, this being generally of the dolphin device and engraved as shown. At the corners turned brass finials were fitted.
Bracket Clocks.—During the second half of the seventeenth century wooden bracket clock cases became popular, and these were generally of the form shown in Fig. go. They were roughly square in shape and a ” basket ” top was fitted to provide interior space for the bell. Various kinds were made, some being of walnut, cross-grained as in the general run of contemporary furniture, others were veneered with tortoiseshell, elaborate marquetry (this form of decoration is dealt with later), and some were in ebony. In some the basket top was of brass fretted and engraved, the better to allow the sound of the bell to emerge. In most the cases were glazed on all four sides to allow the mechanism to be seen.
Later, during the first half of the eighteenth century, the
bell-top ” clock was introduced, the name arising out of the formation of the top. One example is given in Fig. 91. In this the square front has been heightened and the top of the door is rounded to give space to the small dial which records either the date or enables the clock to be set either to ” strike ” or ” silent.” It should be noted that no bracket clocks of this type were fitted with a seconds hand because a movement of this kind needs a far longer pendulum than could be accommodated in a small case. The fourth clock on p. H3 belongs to an altogether later period, the second half of the eighteenth century, but it is given here so that easy comparison of the styles can be made.
Grandfather Clocks.—Speaking of the long pendulum brings us to the grandfather case introduced during the reign of Charles II. The details in them were similar to those in the furniture of the time, though there was something characteristic in their treatment which seems to belong peculiarly to clock cases. They were mostly of veneered walnut and occasionally ebony, and the hoods were made to slide either forwards or upwards, usually the former. They were generally flat at the top, as in the example in Fig. 88, and twist columns were fitted at the corners, these opening with the door. In many specimens a piece of bottle glass was introduced in the large door in the waist to enable the movement of the pendulum to be seen. This was fitted in either a round or oval frame.
Frets were often introduced in the frieze, these being backed with silk, and the mouldings were of a delicate type, far finer than those usually used in furniture. The workmanship was invariably of a high quality, and this, coupled with the characteristic details, suggests that it became customary for some men to specialise in case making as distinct from the ordinary cabinet making. The late seventeenth century examples were usually veneered with marquetry, whilst the Queen Anne specimens were of plain walnut, decorated with cross-bandings and herring-bone bandings.

Games and work tables.
Small tables for recreational use, such as those for cards, games, and needlework, developed in tandem in Britain and France, each country’s designs influencing the other’s at different stages and providing a richness that has been imitated the world over. The earliest tables designed specifically for cards were introduced at the end of the 17th century. In the 18th century card-playing and gambling were immensely popular, and furniture-makers catered to an ever-eager market.
EARLY GAMES TABLES
Tables made c.1700 were often veneered with walnut, with circular folding tops and tapered baluster legs, one or two of which swung out to support the flap, held together by shaped stretchers. The French influence is apparent from about this time. Some of the new card tables were decorated in marquetry, and designed with the finely carved tripod bases that were then popular in France. But where the French made use of tortoiseshell and brass, the British typically employed a variety of indigenous woods including walnut.
Design and construction developed rapidly in Britain in the early 18th century as card-playing became a mania. The fabric, which had traditionally been placed over the Surface of the table, now became a fully integrated part of the design, and was commonly made of baize. Simple cabriole legs and pad feet were gradually overtaken by designs of increasing boldness, such as club feet, in turn succeeded by claw-and-ball and lion’s-paw.
From c.1730 mahogany became the most common timber used. The construction also developed: the flap supported by a swing leg, which was prevalent c.1700, ran concurrently with aconcertina action on the best-quality tables from c.1720. This was introduced to ensure greater symmetry and stability. Some of the more ingenious tables were designed to incorporate separate leaves for backgammon, chess, writing, and cards; such tables often have unusually deep friezes in order to hide the clumsy arrangement of leaves.
LATER GAMES TABLES
During the mid-18th century British tables became more elaborate. Shaped friezes, lion-masks, feathering, acanthus scrolls, naturalistic mouldings, and scrolled feet all made their appearances in turn. Many of the tables were made in softwood and japanned. Tripod tables with triangular tops, for tredrille and other three-handed games, were also made at this time.
In France, tables were made for specific games: square for quadrille, round for brelan, triangular for tri, and marquetry tops for chess. From c.1730 to 1735 the Louis XV style evolved, signalling the triumph of graceful, sinuous lines. Furniture-makers gained complete mastery of their techniques, and design developed rapidly. Free-standing games tables were ideal vehicles for their skill, and were given cabriole legs with double bends, making elongated S-shapes, usually terminating in scrolls or volutes resting on small wooden cubes. Nearly all French games tables were decorated with marquetry in coloured woods; Parisian furniture-makers tended to use chiefly imported woods, while provincial makers used regional olive, cherry, pear, and chestnut. Mahogany was unusual in France, and was mainly confined to the Bordeaux region because it entered the port on ships from the West Indies. Its use ceased completely when the British blockaded the French ports in 1806.
By 1770 Britain’s enthusiasm for gambling and games had aroused such fervour that George III and Queen Charlotte forbade it at the royal palaces – with little effect. The design and metamorphosis of games tables continued apace. In the last quarter of the century,work tables were often combined with games tables.
Sheraton designed a number of work tables, including some with reversible tops, and increasingly they were constructed with folding demi-lune tops, so that they could be stored out of the way like a side table when not in use. Many games and combination games and work tables were now made using fabric (usually lute string or satin) pouches, or bags, suspended beneath the table for the storage of needlework. On many examples found today these have either been removed completely or are in a tattered state. The pouch design was readily taken up by other designers, who also fitted pouches onto small satinwood Pembroke tables and portable tables with curved wooden handles and small drawers.
Tables were made in a wide variety of shapes, such as oval, circular, square, broken-fronted, or serpentine, with tapered quadrilateral or cylindrical legs, in mahogany or satinwood, and were generally covered with green baize. The dishings for candles or counters were now omitted, and the flaps, when open, were constructed in any one of the earlier styles. In The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer’s Guide (1788-94), George Hepplewhite (d.1786) wrote: “The fronts of these tables may be enriched with inlaid or painted ornaments; the tops also admit of great elegance in the same stiles”, and he gave four such designs for inlaid or painted surfaces. Marquetry decoration is rare in this period, although in 1781 George, Prince of Wales (later George IV), ordered two circular mahogany card tables inlaid with differently coloured woods.
When George III and Queen Charlotte failed to suppress gambling, Parliament intervened with better results. Thus card and games tables became less fashionable during the Regency period, and so fewer were made. In his pattern-book The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer’s Drawing Book (1791-1802), Thomas Sheraton (1751-1806) even went so far as to
remark that such tables were “oftener used than to good purpose”.
WORK TABLES
Introduced during the second half of the 18th century, work tables were small tables used for holding needlework accessories. They were originally fitted with either lifting tops or many small drawers, and the accoutrements of needlework, such as reels, needles, shuttles, and bobbins, could be safely stored under the worksurface.
19TH-CENTURY WORK TABLES
By the mid-19th century designs had become increasingly convoluted, with the streamlined Regency elegance replaced by the heavier Victorian designs. The Victorians’ penchant for resurrecting and “improving” styles of earlier periods gave rise to a number of different types of games and work tables in an eclectic combination of styles. All the basic forms of earlier periods continued to for different games,D-end sections for holding counters and games pieces, and work pouches underneath where appropriate. The most popular woods were walnut and mahogany, and among the many different types of decoration used were exuberant carving in the Rococo Revival style, or inlaid brasswork on an ebony or hardwood ground in the style of Andre-Charles Boulle ( 1642-1732).

• British tables are mainly in walnut, mahogany, rosewood, and satinwood, while provincial examples are in oak; in France, Parisian makers used imported woods while provincial makers used regional woods such as olivewood, cherry, pear, and chestnut.
• COLLECTING both card and work tables are generally quite decorative and can be relatively inexpensive; both types can be used as side tables; good-quality British holdover card tables ( 1720-70) have a concertina-action underframe, which will carry a premium; sometimes this underframe will have been replaced with a gateleg support – this should be evident by checking underneath where signs of wear should be visible; copies of the concertina-action games table were made in the 1920s and 1930x, but most were not intended to deceive; baize lining on card tables is nearly always replaced – this will not affect value; original pouches on work tables are rarely found.

DRUM TABLES
Tables with round, or occasionally polygonal, tops on pillar bases with three or four feet, and with drawers in their friezes, are known as drum tables, although they were once generally referred to as library tables or writing tables. A leather-covered surface for writing, a slight lip rather than a widely overhanging edge above the frieze, and sometimes a revolving top arc also defining characteristics. Such tables were fashionable from (1790 to 1820). The grandest incorporated bookshelves as well as drawers in the frieze. Others, known as rent tables, had their drawers labelled with the days of the week, or with letters; these provided elegant filing systems for landlords or managers of estates. Some drum tables had wedge-shaped drawers; others had a combination of real and dummy drawers, given decorative coherence with such details as headed edges, stringing lines, keyholes, and brass knobs or handles. The central pillars were usually turned or faceted; vase shaping, with inward-curving heeded legs, Was especially popular (1800. Later examples, made toward 1820, were usually set on
platform bases with carved, and sometimes gilded, feet. Mahogany was most often used for
late 18th-century drum tables, but rosewood was also favoured for early 19th-century examples. Apart from later reproductions, the type appears to have faded from fashion
BREAKFAST TABLES
Small tables, perhaps of the gateleg variety, used for breakfast and supper, among other purposes, during the 16th and 17th centuries. At this time, and throughout the 18th century, breakfast was generally taken in the privacy of the bedroom or a small parlour.
Examples from this period, which are usually in mahogany, have hinged flaps, supported on fly-brackets, with the frieze, and a storage shelf below enclosed by pierced fretwork or brass wire, presumably intended for china and cutlery, or perhaps jams and condiments. To allow room for tlac user’s knees the caged shelf was often concave at the front and back, and if the table’s legs had under-stretchers these would be shaped conformingly.
By the 1760s the flaps of breakfast tables were often given a rounded shaping, like butterflies’ wings, and the caging around the undershelf was usually dispensed with. Some examples of the 1770s retained a shelf or a decoratively pierced stretcher, but an increasing number were without either, and the type merged imperceptibly into the Pembroke table. Lighter varieties of mahogany, satinwood, and other exotic timbers were used during
this period, and they were enhanced with marquetry or painted decoration.
As in earlier centuries, many people would have taken their breakfast from small tripod tables with tip-up tops, known as claw tables. They ranged from plain types, with
straight-edged tops, simply turned pillars, and curved legs on pad feet, to those with “piecrust” or scalloped edges round the tops, and delicate carving on the supports.
The most fashionable breakfast tables of the late 18th and early 19th centuries were of the pillar-and-claw(central column with splayed legs) variety. Often seating as many, as eight or nine people, they at hardly distinguishable front small dining-tables,
save for the absence of extending mechanisms.
Early 19th-century breakfast tables of this type were customarily oval, or rectangular with rounded corners. Nlan v had “snap” tops, enabling them to be tipped into a vertical position, as well as casters on their feet, thus continuing the long-established and highly convenient flexibility of the breakfast table.
Breakfast table
Early 19th-century breakfast tables are usually of pillarand-claw form, and they normally have hinged tilt tops. This British example is of mahogany, with rosewood crossbanding on the border of the rectangular top. It is normal for the base to be darker than the top, as seen here, as the top was more frequently and exposed to the light. On such examples as this, where an expanse of timber is on display, the quality and patina of the wood are very important in determining value.
Mahogany or rosewood were the usual woods used, but the dark striated calamander was reserved for some of the finest tables. Borders were crossbandcd or inlaid with stringing lines of darker wood or brass; reduced edges were usual. The central hiller support from which the four claw feet .playsplayed was usually ring- or baluster-turned, \\ ith reeding oil the legs. Brass tappings, of plain square form or cast into leafy scrolls or lion’s paws, generally surmount the casters, which arc set at right angles to the feet.
During the mid-19th century the shapes of tops became more varied, with quatrefoil, octagonal, and lobed forms appearing among the circular and oval tables that remained popular. Carved decoration became more florid as Classicism gave way \ to the Rococo Revival and the other historicist styles favoured at the time. Walnut and other highly figured woods were used as often as mahogany and oak.
CENTRE TABLES
The trite centre table is one without any specific purpose, designed not only to furnish the space in the middle of 1 room hilt also to be the centre of attention; while it may host all assortment of activities, its function is largely ornamental. Conventions of room arrangement daring the 18th century meant that the most prestigious items of furniture were almost invariably placed against the walls, and the centre table as now• understood did not come into its own until the early 19th century
Although most 19th-century centre tables are round, Mal, octagonal, rectangular, and square ones are not exceptional. Those from early ill the century, such as examples designed by Thomas Hope (1769-1831), may 1,e of light mahogany inlaid with classical patterns in dark limbers such as ebony, or with metal and Ivory. Inlays of brass, usually in rosewood, were highly fashionable after tile revival of the work of Andre-Charles BOU11C (16421-32) during the early 19th century. The contrast between dark timbers and gilding was also exploited with great effect, during the first three decades of the century.
The Victorians produced grand centre tables with opulent carving; walnut, mahogany, and oak were the predominant timbers, but burr varieties of native woods.
Eight timbers were especially popular
in eastern Europe and Russia. The tops of the
tables were often embellished with floral
marquetry, specimen marbles, porcelain
plaques or painting decoration, which were
favoured in most European countries as well
as in Britain. The Italians revived their traditional techniques of inlaying, SCIIgIiOILZ (imitation hardstorics) and micro-mosaic, and
exported them widely, while the most eye-catching tables were those from Russia, with bright green malachite tops set upon richly gilded bases. However, cr, the French influence was most potent in showy furniture; the Rococo Revisal, as interpreted in
the rest of Europe, was distinctly French, particularly
in the use of gilt-bronze mounts. The French revival of Boullework resulted in ebony and red tortoiseshell tables with brass inlay and sumptous gilded enrichments.

Gateleg and dropleaf tables.
Tables that can extend are adaptable, and this quality has ensured the continuous survival of the gateleg for at least four centuries. A gateleg table is one with a flap (or flaps) which, when extended, rests on supports swinging out from the the table’s undcrtrarric. The supports consist of legs, joined by stretchers at the top and bottom to form gate-like structures.
17TH-CENTURY GATELEG TABLES
Small side tables with foldover tops and pivoting gateleg arrangements were already among the luxury furnishings of grand houses in the 16th century. As domestic comfort increased during the 17th century, so such tables proliferated. Early examples tend to be of half-round or half-ellipse shape when folded, with a doubled-over top hinged across the straight edge. When pulled away from the wall and opened out this top forms a circle or an oval, supported firmly underneath by its joined gate-frame, which pivots outward on wooden hinges from the centre of the LinderftarrC at both top and bottom. Variants of this scheme include square or octagonal tops, and tables with baseboards between the stretchers of the main structure.
As dining habits evolved in the later 17th century, and the large communal hall was replaced by more intimate parlours where meals were taken, the long, rectangular trestle table gave way to rounded gateleg tables, convenient and conducive to conversation. They could be moved away from the centre of a room and folded down to a note compact size when space was needed for dancing or music-making.
The later 17th century was the golden period of the gateleg table, with a plethora of variations on the basic structure being made. Foldover tops continued, especially for small tables for gaming and needlework, but they were largely superseded by the type consisting of a fixed central section with a hinged flap and a gateleg on either side. The supports for the flaps generally swivelled out from one end of the central rectangular structure and folded back parallel with it. Extra large tables, which might seat up to twelve people comfortably, would have two gates on each side to support the flap. Rule joins between the flaps and the fixed central sections of good-quality gateleg tables made after c. 1690 gave smooth contact between the edges of the central section and the flaps without leaving any gaps.
DESIGN VARIATIONS
In many gateleg tables there was a drawer, or even two, in the frieze of the central section. Small foldover tables of exceptional quality might have three or more small drawers opening in the rounded face of a wide frieze. An unusual type of small table had a single central gate that pivoted in the centre of the underframe, to support either a leaf on each side or a vertically tilting solid top, made without flaps. Another rare alternative was a small cupboard at one or both ends of the central scctjnon of a two-flap table.
The greatest variation in appearance was given by the decorative treatments of legs and stretchers. Plain bar supports might be
grooved or given profile shaping, while hamster, bobbin, or spiral turning resulted in some exuberant underframes, which have developed a rich patina over the years. Carving on friezes and stretchers was common on early tables with foldover tops, but not on larger gateleg tables with fall flaps. The most common late 17 th-century gateleg tables were made in oak or elm, while the finest are of walnut, cedar, yew, or some other rare, but usually native, timber. Fruinvoods, such as apple, pear, or cherry, supplemented oak and elm in rural areas.
DROPLEAF TABLES
Gateleg tables, mainly of oak and elm, were made throughout the 18th century, chiefly for the homes of farmers and the more prosperous country people. Their place at the forefront of fashion was taken from c.1720 by the dropleaf table: a type of flap table with a pivoting leg to support the extended leaf but without the under-stretcher, of the gate-Form underframing. Both types of table reflect the increasingly comfortable and civilized surroundings and activities of the 18th-century middle classes – dining, tea-drinking, card-playing, doing needlework, and conversing in small groups.
As with the design of chairs at this time, the understretcher was relinquished. By the end of Queen Anne’s reign (1714), both tables and chairs were usually supported on cabriole legs without understretchers. The undcrfrunung of the table was now confined to the underside of the top, and the moving supports. The supports consisted of legs joined at right angles to sturdy rails, pivoted outward on wooden knuckle hinges set into the central undcrframe. The flaps u; to generally secured to the central section of the top with brass rule
hinges, countersunk into the underside.
Some dropleaf tables were made of oak or walnut, but fashionable mahogany was
the choice for most after c.1730. The outward curves of the cabriole 1( were often embellished with cars I acanthus leaves or lion-masks; carved claw-and-ball feet were a similar decorative change from plain pad feet. Less stylish but eminently serviceable were the square and rectangular dropleaf tables, operating on the same principle as round tables and produced for the rest of the century.
The dropleaf table, like the gateleg, continued to be widely made and used, particularly in provincial districts where both types could be considered traditional rather than fashionable pieces of furniture. Plenty of examples still exist and are to be found in such locally available timbers as fruitwood, ash, elm, yew and oak, as well as mahogany. As with most regional furniture of enduring design, it is often very difficult to attribute anything more than a vague date to them.
SPIDER-LEG AND SUTHERLAND TABLES
The gateleg principle was adopted for an exceptionally delicate form of flap-top table, which was popular during the 1760s and 1770s. Appropriately known as a spider-leg table, from the slenderness of its supports, it was a small occasional table for use in the drawing-room, made in fine timbers. Its turned legs and stretchers were usually quite plain, and it had either one or two flaps; some examples have cleverly curved base stretchers to make space for the user’s legs.
A new form of flap table was introduced during the mid-19th century. Known as a Sutherland table, it was named after the Duchess of Sutherland, Queen Victoria’s Mistress of the Robes, and was a sort of cousin to the Pembroke table. It was characterized b) an extremely narrow central section supported off a trestle-like, cheval or “horse” base . se with a relatively deep flap on either side. The base, with its sturdy supports and splayed feet at either end, was often embellished with carving or turning in the full-blown Victorian manner, while the flap supports, which pivoted outward from the centre of the underframe just below, the top, tended to be comparatively slim. The usefulness of such a table is immediately apparent: its narrowness in the folded position enables it to be tucked away in a small space, while the deep flaps provide a relatively spacious top when opened out. Sutherland tables were made with rectangular as well as rounded flaps. While the best were of figured walnut or some other eye-catching timber, sometimes with inlaid or marquetry decoration as an additional embellishment, more utilitarian versions were produced in oak, chit, or even painted pine. Nearly Lill of these types have casters attached to the feet for extra mobility.
Other types of space-saver on the dropleaf principle included 18th-century North American butterfly tables, named after the shape of the supports for the leaves, and handkerchief tables, with triangular tops and leaves.