Rare Mahogany Samuel Hawkins Crank Dining Table

Rare and important acid etched brass dining table with agate inset by Paco Rabanne. Signed: “Paco Rabanne”. Designed by Paco Rabanne and exe...

Important nicely figured cuban mahogany (solid) William VI period oval dining table, the extending top set on an imposing central plinth base fitted with four scroll feet. England c....

Extending Gustavian style painted wood dining table with faux marble Antico Verde top finish resting on tapered legs. When fully extended 120...

Elmwood circular dining Table model T21D by Pierre Chapo. After the war, he passed the entrance exam to the Beaux Arts de Paris in architecture. The classics, Greeks, Romans, the Ba...

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...

Rare example of a fine dining table by Tommi Parzinger for Charak Modern. This table was restored from very poor condition to the excellent condition...

Rare large antique early Victorian outstanding quality carved mahogany circular extending dining table having an outstanding quality large figured mahogany circular top with 4 origin...

Rare large antique early Victorian outstanding quality carved mahogany circular extending dining table having an outstanding quality large figured mahogany circular top with 4 origin...