Irish Mahogany Wake Table

Crafted for functionality as well as beauty, this exquisite English neoclassical drop-leaf table exhibits remarkable design and marquetry. The grace...

This extraordinary George III-period Pembroke table by London cabinetmakers Ince & Mayhew displays the understated sophistication of the late Georgian era. The surface of the table — including both the central panel and the signature Pembroke hinged flaps — is beautifully detailed with satinwood marquetry, inlaid with a fan medallion and foliate motifs executed with the greatest precision and craftsmanship. The table is set upon slender, tapering legs. The design is indicative of the rising influence of and interest in Neoclassical patterns, favoring motifs from nature or Classical antiquity over the extravagance of the Rococo style. William Ince and John Mayhew joined their skills as furniture designers and cabinetmakers, opening a firm together on Broad Street in 1759. Over the next forty years, the duo would execute many commissions, and develop a volume of engraved designs entitled The Universal System...

This English mahogany console table is a rare period example of the elaborate Chinese Chippendale style. A study in symmetry and balance, this table combines the restrained elegance of the Georgian period with the intricate artistry of the Orientalist aesthetic. Elaborate fretwork on the frieze and pierced supports are beautifully matched by fluted legs. As a whole, it represents a stunning marriage of Chippendale craftsmanship and Eastern design. Small, decorative tables such as this represented the great influence that China had in European decorative and Fine art beginning in the 1600s. Since the Restoration of the monarchy, there had been a growing interest in Chinese-style design forms in England. Called "chinoiserie" in French, this style had become extremely popular by the middle of the 18th century, and designers such as Thomas Chippendale eagerly adopted the elaborate Eastern designs. By the mid-1750s, the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens were sporting "Chinese Pavilions...

This exceptional Irish games table is as functional as it is beautiful. Crafted of Cuban mahogany, it serves as a console table when not in use, but the top folds out to reveal a gre...

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...

This handsome Regency library desk is crafted of rich mahogany and features the straightforward design prevalent in England during the early 19th ...

A fabulous quality Georgian Irish mahogany drop leaf table with rich patination and grain. The attractive, well figured, shaped and moulded top of rectangular form with two twin hing...

A long early George III Irish mahogany dining or wake table of exceptional colour, the highly figured veneered oval top with two drop flaps down over ei...

Mahogany table with single drop leaf and gate leg. Base has original finish and the top has a very old if not original finish. England, late 18th to early 19th century.

A late 18th century mahogany pembroke table having well figured top with oval drop flaps and one frieze drawer raised on elegant square tapering legs. H - 28.5in. W - 19.5in (f...

Unusual antique mahogany Sutherland reading table having a quality top with two drop leaves one can be raised to provide a reading stand. It has a thumb moulded edge and is supported...

Inlaid mahogany baby Sutherland table with two drop leaves crossbanded in satinwood, inlaid shell to the center of the top, swing out legs with original castors, supported by shaped ...