Antique Victorian Mahogany Roulette Games Table, circa 1880

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Antique Victorian Mahogany Roulette Games Table, circa 1880

About the Item

This is a superb antique Victorian mahogany rectangular roulette games table, circa 1880 in date. It has a double foldover top with a reeded edge, when the top is fully extended the roulette table becomes an impressive size, ideal for playing roulette with your friends. The hinged top opens to reveal a baize lined interior which is the betting area on a roulette table and is known as the layout. In the centre is the roulette wheel and compartments for the counters, or chips as they are known. The roulette table stands on elegant square tapering legs and is further decorated with a carved frieze. It is an absolute masterpiece which is sure to get a lot attention wherever it is placed. Condition: In excellent condition having been beautifully restored in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 77 x Width 96 x Depth 71 - Closed Height 77 x Width 282 x Depth 71 - Open Dimensions in inches: Height 2 feet, 6 inches x Width 3 feet, 2 inches x Depth 2 feet, 4 inches - Closed Height 2 feet, 6 inches x Width 9 feet, 3 inches x Depth 2 feet, 4 inches - Open Roulette is a casino game named after the French word meaning little wheel. In the game, players may choose to place bets on either a single number or a range of numbers, the colors red or black, or whether the number is odd or even. The game has been played in its present form since as early as 1796 in Paris. An early description of the roulette game in its current form is found in a French novel La Roulette, ou le Jour by Jaques Lablee, which describes a roulette wheel in the Palais Royal in Paris in 1796. The description included the house pockets, "There are exactly two slots reserved for the bank, whence it derives its sole mathematical advantage." It then goes on to describe the layout with, "...two betting spaces containing the bank's two numbers, zero and double zero". The book was published in 1801. An even earlier reference to a game of this name was published in regulations for New France (Québec) in 1758, which banned the games of "dice, hoca, faro, and roulette". The roulette wheels used in the casinos of Paris in the late 1790s had red for the single zero and black for the double zero. To avoid confusion, the color green was selected for the zeros in roulette wheels starting in the 1800s. Mahogany is probably one of the largest ‘families’ of hardwood, having many different varieties within its own species. Mahogany has been used for centuries in ship building, house building, furniture making etc and is the core structure of just about every 19th century vanity box, dressing case or jewellery box. It became more of a Victorian trend to dress Mahogany with these decorative veneers, such as Rosewood, Kingwood, Burr Walnut and Coromandel, so that the actual Mahogany was almost hidden from view. Mahogany itself is a rich reddish brown wood that can range from being plain in appearance to something that is so vibrant, figured and almost three dimensional in effect. Although Mahogany was most often used in its solid form, it also provided some beautifully figured varieties of veneer like ‘Flame’ Mahogany and ‘Fiddleback’ Mahogany (named after its preferred use in the manufacture of fine musical instruments). Cuban Mahogany was so sought after, that by the late 1850's, this particular variety became all but extinct. Our reference: 06806

Dimensions:
Height: 30.32 in (77 cm)Width: 37.8 in (96 cm)Depth: 27.96 in (71 cm)
Place of Origin:
England
Period:
Late 19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1880
Condition:
Seller Location:
London, GB
Reference Number:
Seller: 068061stDibs: LU95063916522