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Antiques! => Antique Questions Forum => Topic started by: dr612 on February 05, 2012, 01:44:12 pm
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I thought you might like to see another period piece. I will post the photos and see what you think. It is a worktable with drop leaves, mahogany and mahogany veneer. The table top and dropleaves are solid wood, not veneered. The legs are turned and reeded, with the individual reeds being very large and somewhat roughly carved. The dovetails are few and handcut. I got this when I was a student in Gainesville for free, as it had some damage to the legs which has been repaired. I use it as a night stand. Let me know what you think.
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Is that a heart pine top (single board) or book matched ??
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When you said pine, I had to go back and look, because I had always assumed it was mahogany. Looking at the grain of the wood, it is mahogany rather than pine. It is a solid board, not a veneer.
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I may have misunderstood the question. It looks like the top is two joined boards, one of them about 3 inches wide and the other about 20 inches wide. If you look on the left side of the top, you can barely see what looks like a board line. The joint is very faint, but it is a straight line. So, most of the top is a single board, but it has been joined to a smaller board to complete the top.
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Could be just the pic but that wide graining didn`t look like mahogany !! Looks more like heart pine from the pic !! I saw that little board but wasn`t sure about it !! Odd that it would have been added to one side only !! It is a nice table though !! I will give you your money back for it !!! LOL
What type are the leaf supports ??
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That looks more like walnut or cherry to me.
And being a 20 inch wide solid board means it was cut from a log of virgin timber of probably more than 40" in diameter.
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I am at work right now, but I will try to take a close up picture of the grain when I get home. It is conceivable that it is walnut, as I think walnut has a visible grain, but I usually don't think of walnut as being this reddish-yellow. I will get a picture up and see what you think.
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Do the sides "raise up" and if so, please take a picture of them raised. Would like to see if the wood is the same!
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I am attempting to post pictures of the wood grain and the extended leaves, and my picture size must be too large. I will try again. Here goes the first group:
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Here are the extended leaves. I will try two photos this time.
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Here is a shot of the rotating board that holds up the leaves:
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Pics are way too big !! Freezes my computer !!
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Sorry. I remember you said you had dial up. I can't do it tonight, but I will post some lower resolution pictures shortly.
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See if you can do it on page 2 and I can skip these big ones !! Dial up just can`t handle large pics !! But if made smaller we can enlarge them !!
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Yeah, pretty sure its mahogany with good figure on drawer fronts. Period federal stands are really functional even today and often a good buy at auction. Add in the fact that there are alot of them still around which offer collectors just starting out to own period pieces for not alot of money.
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This one definitely was the right price, and it works great as a nightstand or small end table. I am still interested in defining the period and regional origin. If we can get this to page 2, I will post some smaller pictures so that Mart can see them. I, too, am pretty sure that it is mahogany, although woods can be tricky.
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Since we have made it to page 2, here are some smaller pictures of the wood and extended leaves:
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Here are the front and rear drawer dovetails.
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Its an old piece for sure !! How old I will let Jacon4 answer as he is much better on this furniture period than I am !! These smaller pics are way better !! But still I see some that looks like mahogany and some that says pine to me !! Especially that last side shot with the leaf up !! It could possibly be the way it was cut/milled !! And lots of things are difficult when looking at pics on a computer screen !! If its pine it is old growth !! And you can`t always tell from the color because it will change over time and depend a lot in what species of pine was used !! I have seen several items that that were pine that mellowed into a soft red color over the years !! Some oils used as polish could also affect the color !!
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I am still interested in defining the period and regional origin.
Sheraton, American, first half 19th century, guesses C. 1830-40s. Region could be anywhere along eastern seaboard. These stands which were originally called "light stands" & replaced candle stands starting about 1800. Three leg candle stands were just not stable enough to support a whale oil lamp filled with oil so these four leg stands solved that problem.
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Jacon4,, is there a specific difference in the pembroke or occassional table or stand and light stands such as this ??
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Pembroke tables are usually larger than a stand but smaller than a dining table.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&prmd=ivns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=klY1T63DBM2EtgeauLmXAg&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&gs_sm=3&gs_upl=9047l9047l0l9484l1l1l0l0l0l0l250l250l2-1l1l0&oq=+pembroke+table&aq=f&aqi=g1g-m1g-S7g-mS1&q=pembroke%20table
Popular in the last quarter of the 18th century in england, i think there is a "Lady Pembroke" who first had one made and thats where the name comes from. Also called a breakfast table, you see American ones usually in the Chippendale (1770-1790) or Hepplewhite style (1790-1830) fairly often at auction.
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While looking for info on this one I checked a number of pembroke tables and sizes were all over the scale and many styles !! Just wondered if there was anything definitive but sounds like its all in who calls the shot !!
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Interesting Jacon! You gave me new avenues to pursue while researching my table as well. I have always thought of it as a Pembroke but (like Mart) noticed that sizes are all over the map. "Pembroke" seems to have become the "generic term to describe any table with fold down extensions....
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Yeah, dictionary = Pembroke table
noun
a drop-leaf table with fly rails and with a drawer at one end or each end of the skirt.
Basically a breakfast table but you are right, no set dimensions. This is a more formal furniture form which in america was found in philly, NYC, charleston, boston etc. You really dont see this type of table in rural or country settings.
I would note that "light stands" are referred to today as "work stands" at auction.
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Thanks for the discussion. I originally thought it was a Pembroke table, because of the drop leaves, but I decided that the Pembroke table style didn't have the width and depth of the chest that exists here, with Pembrokes only having one drawer and perhaps a false drawer front on the other end. I then decided it was a work table (not a sewing table since it didn't have an open bottom and bag), but those rarely seem to have drop leaves. Interesting. Thanks again.
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Here is a breakfast table from about 1750. Today these are called "tavern tables" but they were in most colonial homes during the 18th century as well so they must have been called something besides "tavern" but no one knows for sure. Handy little tables for 1 or 2 person dining.
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Wow. What a pretty piece. Nice condition for that age. (Heck, any age for that matter.) Beautiful turnings. Very nice.
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dr612, Thanks, yeah, one thing for sure, this lil guy never saw the inside of an 18th century tavern, lol. Small dining tables like this were found in most colonial homes, usually in the kitchen. This table has a cherry base, single pine board pinned top, vase & ring turnings in the william & mary style.
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It's absolutely gorgeous. Down here, you rarely ever see anything colonial. Federal sometimes, and a good bit of Empire, but nothing that early. At least not that I have run across. Nice piece.
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Yeah, i got this table years ago from a dealer in connecticut, as soon as i saw it, i knew i had to have it. There are still plenty of 18th century tavern tables around but finding one intact (top, drawer,feet) is hard, add in cherry on the base (most are maple) and the turned box stretchers (most are plain slats for box stretcher), is very rare these days.
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Absolutely love that little table! It oooooozes history and has such personality!
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It is a nice one !! My opinion on why the name tavern table was used is because many colonial homes were also open to the occassional traveller and these tables were used to serve meals and possibly drink to them !! I think it was more a definitive term for a table used for those guests rather than the owners dining table !! If the lady of the house said to get the tavern table ready,, you knew there would be a paying guest !!
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I originally thought it was a Pembroke table, because of the drop leaves, but I decided that the Pembroke table style didn't have the width and depth of the chest that exists here, with Pembrokes only having one drawer and perhaps a false drawer front on the other end. I then decided it was a work table
Right, thats how light stands are described today, work table or work stand. Pembroke/breakfast tables would have room for you legs, knees underneath where most stands do not. Another thing to keep in mind, although 4 leg stands came into being because of oil lamps, they were used for other things as well plus could be "tricked out" however the lady of the house wanted it because furniture was hand built and so each piece was unique. Mama really did get it her way back in the day, furniture wise.