Rare 19th C Jamaican Miniature Specimen Table, attributed to Ralph Turnbull

This Caribbean miniature demipress/spice cabinet was made in Jamaica in the 1830's and is attributed to Ralph Turnbull. This British Colonial piece is c...

This table is attributed to Ralph Turnbull, who was a famous Jamaican cabinet maker in the 19th century. Constructed of mahogany with palmwood and satin...

A solid 19th century Jamaican Regency yucca tray table with matching stand, circa 1840, featuring a tray top with compass shaped exotic wood specimen inlay and finely turned spooled ...

A matching pair of early 19th century Jamaican Regency mahogany occasional tables, circa 1830, featuring turned pedestal base on tripod base. West Indies...

This British Colonial center table uses exotic wood veneers to create a spectacular spiral, fanning clockwise with contrasting exotic specimen woods ...

An intriguing cedrela and rosewood tripod pedestal table from Tobago, circa 1885, featuring a specimen top with labeled exotic woods. The handwritten labels underneath catalog each o...

A superb quality 18th century mahogany George II Period miniature table having well figured circular Tilting top over vase turned central stem with Elegant bold tripod legs terminating on Pointed pad feet (Almost certainly made as a travelling salesman...

A masterpiece of both cabinetmaking and mechanical engineering, this one-of-a-kind expanding table was crafted by the renowned cabinetmaker Samuel Hawkins of London for the Great Exhibition of 1851. Diminutive in size, the fascinating table was designed as a model to demonstrate Hawkins’ innovative patent screw movement to visitors of the Exhibition – six million people in total over five months. It was exhibited again a century later at the Victoria & Albert Museum during the Festival of Britain, an event intended “to symbolise two main qualities of the national character: realism and strength on the one hand, and, on the other, independence and imagination” (Catalogue of the Exhibition, 1951, p.117). To this day, the miniature masterpiece demonstrates the quest of English furniture makers to combine technical innovation with superb craftsmanship. Displaying exceptional ingenuity, Hawkins’ wind-out screw mechanism allowed one to extend the table’s base to accommodate concentric leaves with the simple crank of a handle. It is based on the inventive expanding table originally designed by Robert Jupe in 1835, which used a swivel mechanism to separate sections of the tabletop and allow for segmented leaves to be inserted. Hawkins’ tabletop, on the other hand, extends outwards directly from the center in order to accommodate additional leaves around its diameter. This unique design allowed the mechanism to also smoothly operate on rectangular tables, which could be wound out from the middle to allow for more table space. Hawkins was not alone in his endeavor to combine the technical merits of engineering and mechanics with the most artful pursuit of cabinetmaking. The first half of the 19th century saw a prolific increase in the popularity of applying new ideas to traditional furniture principles, which allowed furniture to serve many purposes. The resulting “patent” furniture was practical and refined, though few were as innovative as Hawkins’ prodigious design. Carved with the year of the Exhibition on the beautifully designed pedestal base, the table is a testament to the significance of this innovation. The model is mentioned in detail in the catalog of the Great Exhibition of 1851, the first international exhibition of industry, manufacturing, and science. Held at London’s dazzling Crystal Palace, its visitors were treated to exhibits from around the globe, including feats of engineering, innovations in industry, and marvels of design. Queen Victoria herself was a frequent visitor, along with her husband, Prince Albert, and others including Charlotte...

A 19th Century medical specimen, with articulated jaw and removable mandible and cranium cap. This example is of an old, aged female specimen as witho...

A Dutch 19th Century Miniature Console table A 19th Century Dutch console table of 38 cm high with marble top, which is loose on the table. With an antique mirror and curled legs. An antique miniature pewter chestnut pot with lion heads...

A rare antique ebony and specimen wood miniature octagonal table. Ceylonese/Indian. Circa 19th century. Free UK delivery via a selected parcel company. ...

19th century miniature wardrobe.