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dlm2000

xpost - need help identifying antique table- pic heavy

DLM2000-GW
10 years ago

I'll post this on the decorating forum also.

I purchased this table almost 20 years ago from a friend. She was divorcing, moving out of state and needed money which means I overpaid but would have just given her the money anyway. Her father worked for an oil co and they had lived all over the world while she was growing up - this table was purchased in England. And that's the sum total either one of us know about it She doesn't want it back. I am getting ready to downsize and don't see it in my future home.

So the questions are, other than it's beautiful ;-) what can you tell me about this? Approx. age? Name for particular table or use? Guestimates on realistic selling price and/or venue? I appreciate any information.

I expect some of you to say I'm nuts for getting rid of it but I've thought about this a lot and there's just a limit to what I can have/keep in my life. This is not a piece from my family so has no special meaning in that way. For my friend, it was just one of many purchases during her family travels and she has kept the ones that hold the most meaning for her.

Pictures with enough detail to hopefully help with identification. Dimensions are 28"w x 17"d x 30"h

Close up of section where inlay lifted (long before I got it) and you can see some kind of paper beneath.

Underneath the top

Underneath the bottom

Close up of pegs or dowels

Comments (8)

  • lazy_gardens
    10 years ago

    WOW! Nice piece.

    Looks like a Biedermeier occasional table with an inlaid top (1840s-1860s) or may be Empire Revival (but it's too delicate for that, in my mind) The tripod base with bun or claw feet was one of their characteristic design details.

    Check 1stdibs.com and contact those dealers with furniture of that era. Demand is there, but possible not in your area. Inlay can be repaired, but by a pro.

    Similar table base, bun feet, but an Italian made copy ....
    http://www.invitinghome.com/tables-occasional-tables/biedermeier-inlaid-occasional-table.htm

  • calliope
    10 years ago

    OMG. Get this professionally evaluated. I'm thinking you are not too far off on the era given what I can see of the faint saw marks.

  • chibimimi
    10 years ago

    Okay, just talking through my hat here ...

    While the base seems to be original Wiliam IV, I'm not so sure about the top. I wonder if what you have is a married piece, made up of parts from two or three other tables. Here's my reasoning:

    The base has good, thick veneer and parallel saw marks, and looks very typical of the style. It's pegged, or at least has plugs over the screws. The nice bun feet are true to William IV.

    But tables of this era didn't have a turned plate for the connection between the top and column -- at least not that I've seen. The joint would usually look quite a bit more structural, kind of like the interior of a house wall, with bracing and brackets, etc., to keep it stable. I wonder if the column and turned plate came from another piece, possible a candle stand.

    The top has a shape consistent with the base, but the way the skirt is attached doesn't look right. I would not expect to see exposed screws here, but rather a glued joint with blocks behind it. I also think the skirt would be a little deeper. Could this be the top from another table, cut down to mimic the shape of the base, and with a skirt added?

    Whether this is the case or not, it is certainly a lovely piece. I agree with calliope: Get it to an appraiser. And not just someone who deals in antiques, but someone who knows furniture from this period.

  • texasredhead
    10 years ago

    Could it be a plant stand? Can't quite figure what else it would used for.

  • lazy_gardens
    10 years ago

    It's an "occasional table" ... you place them between windows and in other artful places in your rooms. Probably you know it as a "side table", next to a chair.

    Very nice for holding a lamp and a cup of tea.

  • DLM2000-GW
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thank you so much for the input.

    lazygardens I took your advice and spent a couple of hours going through 1st dibs - oddly, or maybe not, the marquetry work that most closely resembles mine is always Dutch but that's where the similarities end. Do you think it would be a side table at 30" high? Maybe with a taller more straight backed upholstered side chair it would work to place a cup of tea but with our modern day sofas you'd be reaching pretty high!

    calliope I do have to find a good source to have it evaluated.

    Chibimimi I suppose anything is possible. It could be a Frankesteined piece and that's the type of information I'd get with a good evaluation. Have to figure out how to find the right person who as you say, knows furniture from this period. My brother deals in antique clocks so fingers crossed he knows someone who can help with furniture.

    texasredhead I'm reasonably sure it's not a plant stand, or at least intended for that specific purpose. The risk to the marquetry from a spill would be too great and a sizable pot would cover much of that beauty. i use it as a purely decorate piece as you can see.

    I guess the bottom line is I need accurate information before trying to sell - and the good news is maybe I didn't overpay afterall ;-)

  • jemdandy
    10 years ago

    Your clock is as interesting as the table.

  • DLM2000-GW
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thank you, jemdandy . It's a pretty clock, not particularly valuable but I do love it. My father collected antique clocks as a hobby and I bought this one in an attempt to follow suit, knowing absolutely nothing about it except I liked the heavy beveled glass and the bim-bam strike ;-) I was fortunate to inherit many of his clocks and the rest reside with my brother who shared our father's interest and went into the clock business.