Please help - Table ID

[YurkaOperator]

Hey everyone,

I got a couple of tables as a gift a few years back. I remember they had a distinct name or brand but I can't remember what it was. Been searching through Antique sites and I've seen similar tables, but none as light as these. They were bought in Europe (Germany). Can anyone put a name to these? Or ID the wood?











Thanks!

[mart]

What part of the table was that last pic taken ??  Can you also take a pic of the exact same place on opposite side ??  Or is this the center ??

[konniem56]

it is fascinating as i see a kitten in the grain of wood in last picture

[mart]

Look on the left and right of that and you can see a dogs muzzle on each side !!  Can`t tell if different when flipped !!

[mart]

I don`t know if its just me seeing things,, but I can see faces and animals all over the table top !!  Looking at it in person,, they may not be easily seen but they sure show up in the pics !!  Can you tell if the table tops are veneered ??  Is anything written or stamped on the underside or on the pedestal bottom ??
What were you told when the tables were given to you ??  What is your location ??

[YurkaOperator]

What part of the table was that last pic taken ??  Can you also take a pic of the exact same place on opposite side ??  Or is this the center ??

Hi mart,

The last pic is the center of the smaller, square table. It doesn't show on the pic but it's symmetrical pattern with the Cat (!) also showing on the other side but facing the opposite direction

On the larger table it's the same deal - patterns repeating . There are regular thin cracks in it (I can't get these to show in pics). I'm not sure if it's legit damage or just where everything has been joined. They're not straight, clean cracks though so I'm assuming it's damage

I don`t know if its just me seeing things,, but I can see faces and animals all over the table top !!  Looking at it in person,, they may not be easily seen but they sure show up in the pics !!  Can you tell if the table tops are veneered ??  Is anything written or stamped on the underside or on the pedestal bottom ??
What were you told when the tables were given to you ??  What is your location ??

They're both laminated. They're perfectly smooth, but clearly there is a lot of plastic wear (smudges and small gashes), with those cracks I mentioned clearly being underneath the plastic. Unfortunately there are no labels to be found on either table

When I was given them I was told they were valuable to take great care of them. They did mention a brand name, but I've been going through antique table styles like Pembroke etc... but nothing rings a bell and nothing really resembles these. I'm not sure if they're actually antiques if they're laminated ... that said I'm in Canada and these were brought overseas from Germany/Europe years and years back when the original owner emigrated so they must have been valued

[fancypants]

Cool designs (courtesy of Nature) in your (what appears to be , to me & my old eyes) flame maple matched-grain veneer table tops , Y. O. !

Since we can't see the cracks you've spoken of , I will add that flame/burled maple grain often has small (repairable) cracks that tend to show up after the wood ages , and is pretty much a characteristic of old (but not always old ... sometimes new veneer has it too!!)  wood .
If the cracking (that we're not seeing) does not follow the very 'busy' grain on the tabletop , perhaps it is cracking in the base/core wood that is showing through to the veneer on top .

Inspecting the hardware/joinery that keeps all the parts together would help date your pieces , as in looking for 'recent' manufactured screws , bolts & etc .


Plenty of great marquetry/veneer work has been done on furniture for a few centuries , so the job is finding out what era yours fit into !

Wish I could verify , via your posted images , if yours is antique (100 years or older) or not , but not really enough data to say @ this point .

[mart]

Thanks !! That helps !! I am wondering if the images are intentional or just a fluke of the wood grain !!  You might take a magnifying glass and see if the cracks or lines follow any of the images like an inlay would !! But if it is not intentional,,I have never seen an instance like this before !! I think Fancypants is correct and that it is maple !! The pattern can vary depending on how the wood is cut !!  My opinion without seeing the underside is that they were made probably mid century or after !!  The coating you see was not widely used before that era !! Of course its always possible it was added later but it seems that the owners would have known that !! I will continue looking !! Surely these are not the only examples made !!

[KC]

The tops of these pieces are gorgeous! 

Fancypants, I think that you hit the nail on the head with this.

Mart, have you been out in the field too long?  LOL  Now that you say you see face I stared at them for a little bit and started making out animals!  LOL

Can you please take a picture of the the underside of the tables - how they are mounted please.

[mart]

KC ,, look at the next to last pic To left and right of the center line down you can see what appears to be a Victorian lady on the left,, a cherub on the right,,below that lady is another figure that may be a man depending on how you look at it but could as well be a lady and one more corresponding figure same distance on the right !!  The animal figure in the center of it could be an lion and a matching flip below that !!  I don`t know how to circle the areas where these images are located !!  But its amazing !!   A master faux painter could do this type of work but haven`t found him or her yet !! If its a natural grain its a one in a million !!

[YurkaOperator]

Thanks all the new advice!

I took a few more pics as suggested of the bottom of the tables and screws:

Smaller table:





Larger Oval table:








I didn't really notice this before but I was trying to get a pic of the cracks but you can make out actual, straight cut joints and faint colour differences - the table surface is a series of strips. This pic shows it best



These are the cracks I mentioned before though which are too faint and thin to get on camera (I tried!)

The square table is similar except instead of strips it is four identical panels joined

[cogar]

My 2 cents worth is, …….. the table top is “burl” veneer, ..... and as Fancypants said, it is surely "burl maple" as described here:  http://wood-veneer.com/product.php?veneer=Maple Burl Veneer

It is a fairly new or modern table due to the use of Phillip head screws and composite or “pressed” board construction (see picture showing pedestal’s attachment to tabletop)

[KC]

Beat me to it cogar!  With the compressed wood and Phillips head screws it is a newer construction (not over 100 years).  Not a "super expensive" piece of furniture or collector piece unfortunately.

That said, the wood patterns are amazingly beautiful!

[mart]

OK I haven`t seen the new pics yet !! Dial up you know !! But Cogar and KC know their stuff so no question on what they say !! My question is why would someone use this amazingly beautiful veneer on a composite table base ??  Makes no sense !!   That's like putting a $2000. set of wheels on a $200. car !!

[YurkaOperator]

Thanks for all the help guys!