Gustavian Tray Tables
GUSTAVIAN STYLE
With clean lines and muted colors, antique Gustavian furniture is understated and elegant. It represents a more restrained version of the transition from Rococo to neoclassicism that was happening in France under Louis XVI. The style developed under Swedish King Gustav III, who reigned from 1771 until his assassination in 1792, and his son Gustav IV, who ruled until 1809. Although Gustavian furniture is mostly used to refer to pale painted cabinets, commodes, armchairs and other items, it involved a range of influences.
Gustavian-style furniture was inspired by discoveries at Pompeii and Herculaneum as well as the grandeur of European palaces like Versailles, with local softwoods such as pine and birch. There was also an emphasis on natural light; crystal chandeliers and large mirrors played a role in radiating the fleeting daylight of winter, giving it a distinctive aesthetic.
Where earlier furniture was curvy and florid, this new era was more architectural, with tapered and fluted legs and rectangular and oval shapes. Luminous gilt contrasted with the palette of soft blues on upholstery and painted surfaces. Leading furniture builders included Gottlieb Iwersson, Louis Masreliez and Erik Öhrmark. The latter, a French-born Swedish decorator, designed the Sulla chair, a seat that was demonstrative of technical skill and precise craftsmanship and drew on Greek klismos chairs. Masreliez’s Sulla chair was made by Öhrmark and featured decorative ornamentation produced by Jean-Baptiste Masreliez, Louis’s younger brother.
While the wealthy had furniture carved with neoclassical details like scallops and rosettes, more affordable options were adorned with faux finishes that mimicked marble and stenciled patterns. The simple elegance of Gustavian furniture would have a long impact on Swedish design, informing the 20th-century appreciation for function and form. In the 1950s, IKEA mass-produced copies of a Gustavian commode designed by cabinetmaker Georg Haupt, who created pieces for the Royal Palace, making the furniture a fixture of everyday Swedish life.
Find a collection of antique Gustavian seating, tables, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
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Style: Gustavian
Swedish High Gustavian Tray Table
Located in Ljungby, SE
Beautiful High Gustavian tray table from Sweden. Elegant wood carvings of pearl borders, flourones and flutings. The table is probably made in a larger city in Sweden. Around 1780-90s.
Category
1780s Swedish Antique Gustavian Tray Tables
Materials
Pine
19th Century Swedish Country Gustavian Tray Table
Located in Forney, TX
Pale, elegant simplicity and classic design, is how we would describe this large, subtly beautiful, hand carved and painted pine antique tray style table.
Handcrafted in Sweden in the late 1800s, decorated in a muted gray-blue paint color, typical of traditional Nordic Swedish County home interiors; pale, light and airy atmospheres, which counteract the low levels of natural light, especially during Scandinavian winters.
This substantially sized rustic table blends a comfortable warmth with a clean-lined minimalism—uniting in a way that is functional, unfussy, and timeless. The perfect choice for bridging contemporary and traditional styles.
Versatile. Ideal for use as an interesting side or center table, accent table, standing writing desk, work table, wine tasting stand or dry bar drinks table...
Category
19th Century Antique Gustavian Tray Tables
Materials
Pine, Paint
18th Century Swedish Gustavian Antique Freestanding Pinewood Tray Top Table
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A light-green, antique Swedish Gustavian freestanding tray top table made of hand crafted painted Pinewood, designed by an unknown master, carpenter fro...
Category
Late 18th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Tray Tables
Materials
Pine
18th Century Swedish Gustavian Metal and Mahogany Tray Table
Located in Kastrup, DK
Elegant Gustavian metal tray table.
Original oval metal tray decorated with a finely hand painted allegorical scene. Standing rim with pierced handle ...
Category
18th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Tray Tables
Materials
Metal, Brass
Related Items
19th Century English Mahogany & Satinwood Etagere Tray Table
Located in London, GB
This is a truly exceptional antique English Edwardian mahogany and satinwood marquetry oval two tier 'etagere', in the manner of Edwards & Roberts, circa 1890 in date.
Crafted from the best flame mahogany, note the wonderful grain to the wood and the beautifully inlaid decoration with musical trophies within scrolling foliage and kingwood crossbanding.
Masterfully inlaid with Sheraton influences, this etagere has an elegant refined look.
The removable glass bottomed tray can be used to serve drinks, etc.
It is raised on elegant square section tapering outswept legs with a shaped cross stretcher.
The craftsmanship and finish are second to none.
THE BOTANICAL NAME FOR THE MAHOGANY THIS ITEM IS MADE OF IS SWIETENIA MACROPHYLLA AND THIS TYPE OF MAHOGANY IS NOT SUBJECT TO CITES REGULATION.
Condition:
In excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned and waxed in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation.
Dimensions in cm:
Height 84 x Width 89 x Depth 55
Dimensions in inches:
Height 33.1 x Width 35.0 x Depth 21.7
Edwards & Roberts
was founded in 1845, and had premises at 21 Wardour Street London. By the 1892 they occupied more than a dozen buildings in Wardour Street, where they continued to trade until the end of the century.
They became one of the leading London cabinet makers and retailers working in a variety of styles, both modern and revivalist. Their business also involved retailing, adapting and restoring the finest antique furniture and there are many examples of their earlier furniture with later embellishments bearing their stamp.
Edwards & Roberts specialised in marquetry, inlay and ormolu.
Marquetry is decorative artistry where pieces of material (such as wood, pewter, or brass silver) of different colours are inserted into surface wood veneer to form intricate patterns such as scrolls or flowers.
The technique of veneered marquetry had its inspiration in 16th century Florence. Marquetry elaborated upon Florentine techniques of inlaying solid marble slabs with designs formed of fitted marbles, jaspers and semi-precious stones. This work, called opere di commessi, has medieval parallels in Central Italian "Cosmati"-work of inlaid marble floors, altars and columns. The technique is known in English as pietra dura, for the "hardstones" used: onyx, jasper, cornelian, lapis lazuli and colored marbles. In Florence, the Chapel of the Medici at San Lorenzo is completely covered in a colored marble facing using this demanding jig-sawn technique.
Techniques of wood marquetry were developed in Antwerp and other Flemish centers of luxury cabinet-making during the early 16th century. The craft was imported full-blown to France after the mid-seventeenth century, to create furniture of unprecedented luxury being made at the royal manufactory of the Gobelins, charged with providing furnishings to decorate Versailles and the other royal residences of Louis XIV. Early masters of French marquetry were the Fleming Pierre Golle and his son-in-law, André-Charles Boulle, who founded a dynasty of royal and Parisian cabinet-makers (ébénistes) and gave his name to a technique of marquetry employing brass with pewter in arabesque or intricately foliate designs.
Etagère is a piece of light furniture which was extensively made in France during the latter part of the 18th century. It consists of a series of stages or shelves for the reception of ornaments or other small articles. Like the what-not it was very often cornerwise in shape, and the best Louis XVI examples in exotic woods are exceedingly graceful and elegant.
In modern usage, an étagère is often used to refer specifically to a long-legged shelf unit that fits over a bathroom toilet...
Category
1890s English Antique Gustavian Tray Tables
Materials
Mahogany, Satinwood
19th Century Mahogany Serving Tray
Located in San Francisco, CA
19th century mahogany serving tray
Hand made serving tray from solid mahogany with brass hardware.
The oval tray has four handles along four drop-down sides.
The tray sits a...
Category
Late 19th Century American Antique Gustavian Tray Tables
Materials
Mahogany
Antique English 19th Century Sheraton Revival Mahogany Tray Table
Located in London, GB
Antique English 19th century Sheraton Revival Mahogany Tray Table.
circa 1890.
In very good condition commensurate with age.
Category
19th Century English Antique Gustavian Tray Tables
Materials
Brass
19th Century English Mahogany Butler's Tray Table
Located in Germantown, MD
19th Century English Mahogany Butler's folding Tray Table. Newer Base
Measures 32" in width, 19.5" in depth and stand 34.75". Tray is 3.25" in height.
Category
19th Century American Antique Gustavian Tray Tables
Materials
Mahogany
20th Century French Small Marble Top Tray Table Standing on Brass Crossed Legs
Located in Sofia, BG
Small and elegant tray table with brass crossed legs and marble top in light beige.
France, circa 1930.
Category
Early 20th Century French Gustavian Tray Tables
Materials
Marble, Brass
H 9.45 in W 13.39 in D 8.67 in
Midcentury Folding Campaign Tray Table by Drexel
Located in Las Vegas, NV
Beautiful midcentury Campaign folding table with removable tray and folding scissor base. Designed by Stewart MacDougall and Kipp Stewart...
Category
Mid-20th Century Gustavian Tray Tables
Materials
Brass
Early 19th Century Northern Swedish Gustavian Country Table
Located in Kramfors, SE
Northern Swedish country table in the gustavian style from Hälsingland. The table is from the years around 1820 to 1830 and in untouched original...
Category
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Tray Tables
Materials
Pine
19th Century Tray on Stand
Located in Charlottesville, VA
This elegant antique tray on stand is a versatile and stylish accent piece, featuring a beautifully hand-painted tray with intricate gold detailing around the border. The deep burgun...
Category
19th Century French Antique Gustavian Tray Tables
Materials
Metal
Gustavian Swedish Extendable Dining Table Mahogany, Early 20th Century seats 8
Located in Lewes, England
Unusual early 1900s Gustavian extendable dining table with top grade quilted mahogany veneers,
Lovely pyramid fluted legs with a rosette detailing and brass feet.
It is approximate...
Category
Early 20th Century Swedish Gustavian Tray Tables
Materials
Birch
H 27.56 in W 90.56 in D 43.31 in
Butler's Tray Table
Located in Wilson, NC
This butler's tray table has the original brass hinges that have been polished and lacquered for easy maintenance. There is a ten-inch area of indentations in one side of the top, th...
Category
Late 20th Century English Gustavian Tray Tables
Materials
Brass
19th Century English Butlers Tray Table
Located in Pomona, CA
A mid-19th century English mahogany butlers tray on the stand features a rectangular tray with a surrounding gallery. On a folding X-frame stand with woven straps to accommodate the ...
Category
1840s English Antique Gustavian Tray Tables
Materials
Mahogany
Antique English Folding Tray Table
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
We are delighted to offer for sale this extremely well made folding butlers tray table.
A very good looking well made and decorative piece, ...
Category
Early 20th Century English Gustavian Tray Tables
Materials
Brass
Previously Available Items
Swedish Period Gustavian Painted Wood Table in a Soft Blue/Gray Palette
Located in Atlanta, GA
A Swedish period Gustavian carved and painted wood occasional table from the late 18th century. This antique table from Sweden has a rectangular-shaped top with pie crust style raise...
Category
Late 18th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Tray Tables
Materials
Wood
18th Century Swedish Gustavian Pedestal with Tray Top
Located in Charleston, SC
18th century round tray top pedestal table with turned base supported by beautifully carved legs in original color.
Stockholm, Sweden, circa 1710.
Category
Late 18th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Tray Tables
Materials
Pine, Paint
Charming 19th Century Swedish Gustavian Style Tray-Table
Located in Kastrup, DK
Charming Swedish Gustavian style tray-table, freestanding. Gray painted legs and apron. Richly decorated with carvings to all four sides of apron. Tabletop with flower motif.
Category
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Tray Tables
Materials
Pine
Early 19th Century Swedish Pedestal Table with Shaped Top
Located in Charleston, SC
Early 19th century painted, shaped top pedestal table with turned base supported by beautifully carved legs. Scraped pack to traces of its original paint. Värmland, Sweden, circa 183...
Category
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Tray Tables
Materials
Pine
Grey Painted Wooden Tray Table in Gustavian Style, 1760
Located in Lejre, DK
Grey painted wooden tray table in Gustavian style from circa 1760. The table is in good vintage condition.
Category
1760s Danish Antique Gustavian Tray Tables
Materials
Wood
Tray Table
Located in New York, NY
Black painted tray table made in Sweden between 1790-1810. Made in elm later finish. Tray in black metal with gilded details.
Category
19th Century Swedish Antique Gustavian Tray Tables
Materials
Wood
Gustavian tray tables for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Gustavian tray tables for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 19th Century, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage tray tables created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include tables and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, pine and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Gustavian tray tables made in a specific country, there are Europe, Scandinavia, and Sweden pieces for sale on 1stDibs. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for tray tables differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,400 and tops out at $9,100 while the average work can sell for $6,265.