It was unexpected that, at the age of 64, William IV was crowned king of England. He had two older brothers, yet the death of Prince Frederick put him in line for the British throne when George IV died in 1830. His reign was brief, as he died on June 20, 1837, but it was a pivotal time of change, with parliamentary reform leading to the present-day constitutional monarchy. Antique William IV–style furniture reflects this period of transition, with forms that bridged the neoclassicism of the preceding Regency style and the more extravagant Victorian style that would follow.
Inspired by ancient Greece and Rome, William IV designs were often more imposing than Regency furniture and featured decorative attributes. There were sofas balanced on lion’s feet and tables with brass fittings. But furnishings of this period were largely marked by straight lines and subdued ornamentation compared to those of the George IV era. William IV had an unassuming way about him and was much more formal, whereas the ruler who preceded him was a king of extravagance. George IV had an affinity for French decor and was heavily invested in overhauling the private residences at Windsor Castle.
Carvings on William IV four-poster beds and cabinets included scrolling shapes, lotus leaves and acanthus, while popular pieces like tilt-top tables and upholstered seating on caster legs provided flexible interiors. Richly toned woods like mahogany and rosewood were used for sideboards, bedposts boasting reeded details and dining chairs with intricate chair backs and turned front legs.
William IV left no legitimate heirs, so his young niece, Victoria, became queen. She would lead an era of taste in which the innovations of the Industrial Revolution allowed for manufacturing showier furniture to fill elaborate interiors. With its comparatively refined forms and restrained designs, William IV style was a pause before a time of radical aesthetic change.
Find a collection of authentic William IV tables, armchairs, decorative objects and other 19th-century furniture and antiques on 1stDibs.
Circa 1835 English William IV Period Games Table
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
Circa 1835 William IV period games table, English. Designed as a side console table when not in use for gaming. Flame mahogany veneers & solid mahogany. The swivel top reveals baized...
Baize, Wood
Mid 19th Century Chess Top Lamp Table
Located in Bedfordshire, GB
A Very Good Quality Mid 19th Century, William IV Period, Mahogany Lamp Table, Or Occasional Table, Having Superbly Figured Circular Top With Attractive Chess Board Inlaid Decoration,...
Mahogany
19th Century English William IV Period Mahogany Games Table Sewing Stand
Located in Forney, TX
A period William IV English mahogany sewing stand work table with inlaid chessboard top. circa 1830s Combining sophisticated elegance, warmth, and functional design, this outstandin...
Iron
William IV Card Table Mahogany D End Console
Located in Potters Bar, GB
William IV early Nineteenth Century D end card table The tables opens to reveal a baize playing surface in good condition. The table has a wonderful patina which is testament to its ...
Mahogany
19th Century William IV Period Rosewood Fold-Over Card Table
Located in Petworth,West Sussex, GB
Fine Early 19th-Century Rosewood Fold-Over Card Table A very fine and elegant early 19th-century William IV period rosewood fold-over card table. The table features a beautifully fi...
Rosewood
19th Century William IV Rosewood Card Table
Located in Richmond, Surrey
A very high quality William IV Rosewood Card Table with beautifully figured rosewood throughout. The top swivels 90′ degrees to open into a Card Table with a original baize lined int...
Rosewood
Pair of English Mahogany Pedestal Hinged Game Tables on Brass Casters, C. 1820
Located in Charleston, SC
Pair of English mahogany foliage pedestal hinged game tables with flanking scrolled corners, gadrooned skirts, baize card playing surfaces, open interiors for storage, and resting bun feet with the original brass casters, Early 19th century. Pair of Game Tables...
Brass
William IV Folding Games or Card Table
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
William IV folding games or card table. This is a good quality piece with beautiful patina, it takes up little space and unfolds to a 3ft square games table. The base has a 4 point base with scroll feet and the top swivels to open out. The table has a new green baize playing area...
Rosewood
William IV Card Table Mahogany D End Console
Located in Potters Bar, GB
William IV early Nineteenth Century D end card table The tables opens to reveal a baize playing surface in good condition. The table has a wonderful patina which is testament to its ...
Mahogany
$4,074Sale Price|25% Off
Fine Antique William IV 1830 Pietra Dura Specimen Marble Chess Board Table
By PIETRA DURA
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
We are delighted to offer for sale this absolutely exquisite antique Pietra Dura Italian Specimen Marble chess board table, William IV circa 1830 ...
Marble
$3,850Sale Price|20% Off
Rare William IV circa 1830 Hardwood Occasional Table Chess Board Games Cards Top
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
We are delighted to offer for sale this exquisite hand made in England William IV circa 1830 mahogany & Rosewood occasional table with Chess board top and baize lined card table insi...
Hardwood, Walnut
Regency Maplewood Lyre-End Games Table, circa 1825
Located in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire
A Regency maplewood lyre-end games table. The top reverses to show either a plain surface or a chessboard and removes to reveal a backgammon board. Gallery 3/4" high. dotsend enqui...
Maple
$5,363Sale Price|55% Off
H 29.93 in W 34.26 in D 33.86 in
Walnut Fold-Over Black Lacquer Table, 19th Century, England
Located in Lisbon, PT
A Georgian English game table from the late 19th century, refinished in black lacquer varnish, featuring a hinged and molded rectangular top that elegantly unfolds to double in size,...
Walnut
$2,475
H 28 in W 52 in D 20 in
William Birch for Liberty & Co. an Arts & Crafts Oak Fold Over Card Table
By Liberty & Co., William Birch
Located in London, GB
William Birch for Liberty and Co. A good quality sturdy Arts & Crafts oak fold over card table with precise mitred corners to the top on splayed ring turned legs united by an H-stre...
Oak
Early 19th Century William IV Mahogany Pedestal Card Table
Located in Dublin 8, IE
Early 19th Century William IV mahogany pedestal card table, it has four down-swept legs which terminate on original brass casters. The top is cross-banded and swivels to reveal an in...
Mahogany
English Edwardian Folding Games Table
Located in Hudson, NY
This fine and unusual games table is of rare form, circa 1900 and 1910, is made of mahogany and deal secondaries. The brass fittings have all been chrome-plated, a feature usually re...
Mahogany
19th Century English Victorian Rosewood Games Table
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
For sale is a good quality Victorian rosewood games table. The table has an inlaid top which swivels and folds over to reveal a chess board and backgammon. Below this is a single fit...
Rosewood
19th Century Mahogany Card Table
Located in Martlesham, GB
Early 19th century mahogany card table, the moulded edge shaped top opening to reveal a green baize playing surface, the shaped frieze below with carved leaf decoration at each side,...
Mahogany
Antique 19th Century English Victorian Era Walnut Chess Table, Circa 1885
Located in New Orleans, LA
Antique 19th century English Victorian era walnut chess table, circa 1885.
Walnut
19th Century Biedermeier Marquetry Chess Table
Located in Darmstadt, DE
An elegant Biedermeier chess table from circa 1830, featuring a finely inlaid marquetry top with a central chessboard surrounded by intricate geometric and ornamental patterns. The o...
Ash, Birch, Walnut, Pine
19th Century English Regency Flip Top Chessboard Games Table
Located in Forney, TX
A fine quality, exquisitely handcrafted, antique English games / sewing table finished in Regency taste. Born during the third quarter of the 19th century, featuring stunning burl wa...
Leather, Satinwood, Walnut
19th Century Rosewood Game, Card Table
Located in Savannah, GA
This is a rosewood game, card table made in England, circa 1850. The top has rounded corners and a nicely molded edge. The top spins open to reveal storage for game pieces, cards, et...
Rosewood
Early 19th Century Flip-Top Game Table with Inlaid Chessboard
Located in Stahnsdorf, DE
Early 19th Century Flip-Top Game Table with Inlaid Chessboard Refined early 19th-century game table, designed for chess and card games, exemplifying the understated elegance and fin...
Cherry, Maple, Walnut
19th Century Chinoiserie Game Table With Reversible Top
Located in Charlottesville, VA
Chinoiserie game table with gilt and polychrome decoration. The top lifts to reverse to a chessboard surface, with painted scenic panels and patterned borders, raised on slender legs...
Wood, Lacquer, Paint
William IV Rosewood And Marble Games Table
Located in Essex, MA
Square top with various marble types assembled as a playing surface. Columnar support joining a tripartite base and brass paw feet.
Marble, Brass
William IV Card Table Mahogany Games 1830
Located in Potters Bar, GB
Refined William IV card / games table in mahogany We date this to circa 1830 and it's hand crafted from mahogany Purchased from a private residence in London's Islington Top opens up...
Mahogany
Sold
H 29.14 in Dm 22.84 in
RESTORED ANTiQUE WILLIAM IV CIR 1830 HARDWOOD BURR WALNUT CHESSBOARD CHESS TABLE
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this stunning original fully restored William IV circa 1830 Rosewood & Burr Walnut Chessboard table Please...
Hardwood, Walnut
An Octagonal William IV Rosewood Games Table
Located in Stamford, CT
An octagonal William IV rosewood games table. Circa 1840.
Wood
William IV Style Rosewood Card/Games Tables
Located in Potters Bar, GB
William IV rosewood card table. This table having a platform base with half turned mouldings and typical carved William IV feet. The column of the table being of a faceted form and...
Rosewood
Superb William IV Rosewood Folding Games or Card Table
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Superb William IV Rosewood folding games or card table This is an exceptionally fine quality piece with a beautiful patina, it takes up little space and would make a superb console table, the table unfolds to make a 3ft square games table The base leg and apron of the table are carved and decorated, the table has 4 large claw feet and wonderful carving around the centre leg The top apron has a carved scroll decoration, this swivels and opens out revealing a compartment with plenty of room inside to store the cards and games The table is fully restored and has a new green base playing area...
Rosewood
William IV Carved Birdseye Maple Game and Sewing Table C. 1840
Located in Ft. Lauderdale, FL
This beatiful English William IV birdseye maple table can be used both as a traditional sewing tale and with the top folded out as a game table with an inlaid chess board. The table has one drawer for gaming as well as sewing tools...
Brass
Sold
H 29.25 in W 23 in D 15 in
William IV Carved Mahogany and Satinwood Game and Sewing Table, C. 1840
Located in Ft. Lauderdale, FL
This beatiful English William IV table can be used both as a traditional sewing tale and with the top folded out as a game table with a circular gilt tooled leather surface. When not...
Brass
William Iv-Period Specimen Chess Table
Located in New Orleans, LA
A luxurious array of rare marbles and hard stones are inset into the playing surface of this William IV-period chess table. The visually appealing arrangement incorporates specimens ...
Marble, Carrara Marble, Griotte Marble, Siena Marble
English Exotic Wood William IV Games Table
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
English Exotic wood ‘flip-top’ games table, raised on a pedestal support over trefoil base. C. 1840.
Fruitwood, Walnut
19th Century William IV Rosewood Fold-Over Chess Table
Located in Richmond, Surrey
A high quality William IV Rosewood fold-over chess table, fitted with a drawer and well, on a platform base.
Rosewood
Sold
H 28.5 in W 19.5 in L 28.5 in
Englist Walnut and Birch Octagonal Chess Table on Solomonic Column, Circa 1850
Located in Ft. Lauderdale, FL
This English octagonal chess top table features a top with checkerboard inlay of mahogany and contrasting birch resting upon a Solomonic carved column sitting on a carved tripod base...
Birch, Walnut