Extending Table Mahogany, Metal, Etc, England, circa 1930

About the Item

Rectangular mahogany table with eight legs ending in small metal wheels. It has a system of "endless screw" under the board that allows its extension to reach six meters. The legs have a very common shape in the English examples of the 18th century (type known as "claw and ball" with “cabriole”, a shape that although it is more of a French tradition, it was a “fashion” that quickly spread throughout Europe). A lot of experts think that it is a design derived from Chinese art (The Claw of a dragon holding a pearl or similar) and that it reaches the West thanks to the trade of porcelains, silks, etc., appearing for the first time in English silverware and, from it, extending to other arts. It is attributed to the English cabinetmakers the transformation of the dragon's claw into a lion's foot, because this animal symbolizes the English authority. Thus, the "ball and claw" was popular in England between, approximately, 1710 and 1750 (recovering later according to the styles of the past become fashionable again), and with a lot of variations (shape of The Claw, details of the nails and "fingers", proportion between the sphere and the extremity, etc.) depending on the area and date in which this element was used. The decoration along the waist, upper part of the legs and on the edge of the upper board in the table, in slight relief and leaving the wood in its colour, is of architectural and vegetal theme and shows an influence of Classic ancient models (Greek and Roman) in both its motifs as in the composition (symmetry on the sides of the furniture, harmony, etc.). As for the presence of the fabric of the upper board, it is a more common element in the tables for conferences, desks or games than in the dining tables (which usually present the wooden board), although this detail does not exclude any function for it. Also, it is necessary to emphasize the conservation of the “roldanas” (wheels) of the legs, element that used to be eliminated or to be lost with the use. Size: 160 x 298 x 86 cms.

Dimensions:

Height: 33.86 in (86 cm)Width: 117.33 in (298 cm)Depth: 63 in (160 cm)

Style:

Other (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Mahogany,Other

Place of Origin:

England

Period:

1930-1939

Date of Manufacture:

circa 1930