It's a mess!! LOL! Looks to me like something someone cobbled together out of several other things....the bottom, what I can see, looks like it might be part of an old oak parlor table...the shelf part of a 1960 maple "colonial" piece and the top? Who knwos....all finished with a bad picture under glass.

The picture in the shadowbox is actually a 3d diorama of wooden cutout pieces. Oh, and it's actually half of a matched set. The other has a mission church in place of this one's castle.

I'm gonna need more pictures. It's certainly different!

3D....cut out...not such a bad picture then....but I still think it's someone's "art project".
could it be a picture meant to hang and someone made a table from it?

Very well could have been an art project, but a matched pair of them seems a little much. I assumed that someone had seen these things before. Here's some more pics of the pair (glass is missing from the other one, I'm going to get a piece cut for it this week):

I think they are specific to some ethnicity, and probably quite special within the confines of that aesthetic, you know, like Bavarian cuckoo clocks that appear kind of appalling to anyone not familiar with the art form. But even from speaking from ignorance as I am, I think these are really neat - I would have bought them too! I see why Linda jumped to Colonial based on the first photo, but I think that similarity is coincidental. I think they could be anything from Welsh to Filipino; or maybe east European.... is there any hint to be had from who was holding the garage sale? If one could identify those buildings and that bridge, it would sure help.

I would love to see a photo that better shows how the inside carving is done, not that I could tell you more on that basis, but just to appreciate it. It appears to be almost like a diorama.

The type of wood used would maybe also be a hint.

Karin L

It seems mission-style, like Mexican/South American missions within the diorama but the coniferous trees throw me off, unless there are a lot of pines in the Andes?

They sure defy description. I have a hunch they depict actual places/buildings. Figure out where/what they are and perhaps that's where the tables originated.

How about the people who's garage sale it was? Did they appear to be from somewhere else...I'm thinking did they have any accent, etc? Would you be able to find out from them what/where these might be and where from, etc? In a way they remind me as being sort of "naieve" style like pics done on black velvet (way back when) lol.

Hmm, going on "where these came from", this is an Army town so if this isn't a school arts and craft project or something they would have been bought by someone overseas at a prior duty assignment. Germany and Korea are most common, but there's also some folks who have served in the Phillipines, Central and South America, other parts of Europe, Japan. The buildings and the mountains make me think of Spain (Pyrenees), but I guess maybe the alps would be a more likely possibility. I'll see if I can figure out what kind of wood is used when I get home from work tonight.

I don't know the origin of these particular pieces but, back in the late 60's early 70's when my kids were little, a Service family moved into the neighborhood 2 doors down. I baked something and took it down as a welcome to the neighborhood gift. They had just been stationed in Germany and had brought back a lot of furniture purchased there. They had a coffee table that looked very much like these tables. I don't remember what the picture was. Probably a more Germanic theme but the style was very like yours.

Hmm. Maybe there is a reason that cuckoo clocks popped into my head. There is a certain Tiroler Swiss alp/Bavarian flavour. I've been searching images of German castles to start with but haven't found anything yet.

Karin L

I think I've got it - Black forest carved table. Do an image search. Linked below is one that I found. Also for sale on the same page... cuckoo clocks!!

The buildings are likely somewhere in the black forest.

Karin L

Here is a link that might be useful: Black forest carved table.

Here is another one, linked below, with some more information.

By the way, I must have been typing my first entry above, asking for more photos, while you were posting the photos.

Karin L

Here is a link that might be useful: similar to the above

If it/they are actual places, you might contact someone at the Black Forest travel.com. The link below has a few photos on some castles but there is also a "contact" so you could email them and inquire if anyone there knows. good luck on solving your mystery.

Here is a link that might be useful: Black Forest Castles/Places of Interest

I don't know anything about your tables but I like them :) Very unusual & I bet they are quite the conversation pieces. Good luck on finding more information!