After the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula in the eighth century, Islamic Spain became a cultural mix of influences that shaped both private homes and religious spaces. Moorish design was the name given to this style, which evolved through the 15th century with vibrant tile work, horseshoe arches and lavish ornamentation, most visible at sites such as Granada’s Alhambra and the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba. Moorish furniture was often similarly ornate, and featured pieces inlaid with wood, ivory and bone.
When European designers began studying Moorish art and architecture in the early 19th century, it led to a Moorish Revival. Appropriating the style’s decorative flourishes and architectural elements, it promoted a romantic view of Islamic design. Travelers could bring home a memento of what they witnessed in the Middle East, a trend that aligned with a fad for themed interiors. Men’s smoking rooms arranged with ottomans, divans and settees and inlaid tables were especially popular, as were cafés where coffee was served amid bead curtains and colorful floor mats. (Handwoven rugs are a centerpiece of Moorish interiors.) Octagonal rooms with domed ceilings were created for wealthy homes, frequently with furnishings like pipe stands, filigree plasterwork and arched doorways. The horseshoe arch is an iconic attribute of Moorish architecture that, in addition to Spain, can be found in Sicily, Morocco and elsewhere.
Several late 19th to early 20th-century movements featured Moorish touches. The American and English Aesthetic Movement, for example, borrowed liberally from global decorating styles, as seen in furniture designed by Lockwood de Forest, a New York-born artist who mixed Eastern and Western forms. The visual vocabulary of Art Nouveau also references the elegant use of geometry in Moorish design, with Milanese Art Nouveau furniture designer Carlo Bugatti drawing inspiration from the style. The Arts and Crafts movement, which prized expressive yet simple design, incorporated Moorish influences; hand-painted furniture and tile work created by William De Morgan, a British designer and potter who made furnishings for the likes of Morris & Co., were informed by techniques from Moorish Spain.
Find a collection of Moorish lighting, decorative objects, folk art and more furniture on 1stDibs.
Moorish Inlaid Six-Legged Folding Side Table and Brass Tray Top.
Located in Vero Beach, FL
Moorish Inlaid Six-Legged Folding Side Table and Brass Tray Top. The inlay work makes this folding tray an exceptional handmade side table. A hand carved turned wood base of 6 legs ...
Brass
Vintage Moroccan Round Engraved Brass Tray top Table, 1970s
Located in Esbjerg, DK
A stylish yet practical 1960s or 1970s Moroccan - Moorish style tray top table originally intended for serving tea and/or tobacco. It features a thick hand engraved solid removable b...
Brass
Moroccan Folding Tray Table in Brass and wood
Located in Barcelona, ES
Large Traditional Moroccan Folding Tray Table, Brass, Wood, Morocco, 1940s-1950s. This moorish brass tray table features a round brass tray...
Brass
Moroccan Brass Tray Top Spider Leg Table
Located in New York, NY
Midcentury Moroccan made brass tray top table with folding spider leg base. This example shows some minor cosmetic wear, normal and consistent with age.
Brass
Moorish Moroccan Style Folding Brass Tray Drink Table
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Handsome middle eastern Moroccan style brass top drinks table or tray table featuring a weathered patina on the etched top. The six leg base has a hexagonal shape with mother-of-pear...
Brass
Moorish Islamic Brass Tray Table, Handcrafted in Spain, 1920s Design
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Antique Islamic Moorish Spain brass repousse tray table on folding wooden carved teak legs. Moorish Islamic Brass tray Side Table Spain circa 1920s. The...
Brass
Large Moorish Arabic Brass Folding Tray Table, Spain 1940s
Located in Barcelona, ES
Moorish Style Spanish brass repousse tray table on folding wooden turned stand, Spain, 1940s-1950s. This spanish table was handcrafted at the mid-20th ce...
Brass
Turkish Tin Copper Tray Table on Wooden Folding Stand
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Turkish tin copper tray table on wooden folding stand Turkish Persian Mameluke style tinned copper tray table. Very nice unusual Asian dark bron...
Metal, Copper
Vintage Moroccan Etched Brass Tray Table, Moorish Style, 1940
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Vintage occasional Moroccan etched brass round tray table. This is a wonderful antique all hand tooled in exquisite foliate designs with a deep,...
Brass
$1,200
Moorish Round Brass Tray
Located in Queens, NY
Moorish (19/20th Century) round brass tray with scalloped edge.
Brass
Large Antique Brass Moroccan Oval Brass Tray 54 inches
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Large Massive Mid-Century Brass Moroccan Oval Brass Tray. Hand tooled etched very large Moroccan polished brass tray. This oval brass tray...
Brass
Moorish Moroccan Style Folding Wood Brass Tray Drinks Table
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Beautifully patinated large Moroccan brass tray drink table featuring a carved wood folding base. The wood is hand-carved with a six leg octagonal form with Middle Eastern turned sup...
Brass
Moroccan Moorish Copper Tray Table with Folding Base
Located in Barcelona, ES
Large Moroccan antique copper tray table with wooden Syrian folding base. The removable round copper top has a hand-hammered decoration with...
Copper
Vintage Moorish Tray Table Stand, Hand-Carved Black Wood, Morocco
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Vintage folding black wooden tray table stand. Size is 17.5" diameter x 18 height will hold a metal tray from 19 inches to 24 inches diameter. The ...
Wood
Antique Persian Copper Tray Table with Moorish Design, 1940
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Antique Persian style copper tinned silver tray on folding Stand. Amazing finely hand etched very fine intricate floral work designs on tray, sits on a b...
Metal
Moorish Copper Tray Table with Wooden Elephant Base, Turkey, 1900
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Middle Eastern copper metal tray, finely handcrafted, hammered and incised with Moorish designs. Hard to find Moroccan style collector metal tray, one of a kind metal art work. Islam...
Copper
$1,250
Moorish Round Brass Tray
Located in Queens, NY
Moorish (19/20th Century) round brass tray with scalloped edge.
Brass
$2,080Sale Price|20% Off
Moorish Inlaid Mother of Pearl Six Legged Brass Tray Top Folding Side Table
Located in Vero Beach, FL
Moorish inlaid mother of pearl six legged brass tray top folding side table. The inlay work makes this folding tray an exceptional handmade side table. An ebonized hand carved turne...
Wood
1930s Casablanca Brass Folding Tray Tea Table, Moroccan 6 Leg
Located in Hyattsville, MD
Early 1930s Moroccan Brass Folding Tray Tea Table, wonderful craftsmanship and quality. One of the oldest and Moroccan Tray tables we have come across. Very nice quality and heavy w...
Brass
$1,450
Moorish Round Brass Tray
Located in Queens, NY
Moorish (19/20th Century) round brass tray with rope design edge.
Brass
1960s Boho Chic Rectangular Brass Tray Coffee Table
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Hollywood Regency style, Mid-Century brass tray table with etched rectangular brass tray. Sit on a metal faux bamboo base in black color. Made i...
Brass
Large Antique Brass Moroccan Oval Brass Tray 54 inches
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Large Massive Mid-Century Brass Moroccan Oval Brass Tray. Hand tooled etched very large Moroccan polished brass tray. This oval brass tray...
Brass
$1,496
H 22.64 in Dm 22.05 in
ANTIQUE HAND CARVED LIBERTY'S LONDON MOROCCAN FOLDING TRAY TABLE ZODIAC ETCHINGs
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this ornately hand carved Moroccan brass tray table retailed through Liberty's in the 1880-1900's with Zodia...
Brass
Italian Brass Tray with a smoked glass top, 1970s
Located in Palermo, IT
Italian brass tray with a smoked glass top, 1970s Intact and in good condition, a very elegant design object. Dimensions: 48 cm x 38 cm x 6 cm.
Brass
$2,500
H 24.41 in W 21.26 in D 21.26 in
Maison Mercier Brass and Lucite Folding Tray Table, circa 1960
Located in Atlanta, GA
Maison Mercier, Paris, designed this exceptional mid-century modern barware folding tray table. The stunning piece was expertly crafted in France circa 1960. The large-scale square b...
Metal, Brass
$750
H 20 in W 26.5 in D 16 in
Maison Jansen, Hollywood Regency, Faux Bamboo, Brass, Tray Top Table, 1950s
Located in Manhasset, NY
Maison Jansen, Hollywood Regency, Faux Bamboo, Brass, Tray Top Table A chic bronze faux bamboo table, the tray top with handles raised on a folded base. Stamped Jansen Industria, Ar...
Bronze
$4,895
H 19.5 in W 28.75 in D 21.88 in
Chinoiserie Papier Mache Tray Table (Tray on Stand) from England
Located in Austin, TX
A beautiful English tray table or tray on stand from the Aesthetic Movement Period, featuring a rectangular tray of papier mache with a recessed center showing a decorative Chinoiser...
Wood, Paper
Moroccan Moorish Copper Tray Table with Folding Base
Located in Barcelona, ES
Large Moroccan antique copper tray table with wooden Syrian folding base. The removable round copper top has a hand-hammered decoration with...
Copper
$2,080Sale Price|20% Off
H 20 in Dm 29 in
Moorish Inlaid Mother of Pearl Six Legged Brass Tray Top Folding Side Table
Located in Vero Beach, FL
Moorish inlaid mother of pearl six legged brass tray top folding side table. The inlay work makes this folding tray an exceptional handmade side table. An ebonized hand carved turne...
Wood
Kanso Cocktail Tray Table in Wood and Steel
By Laura Bilde, Please Wait to be Seated
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Kanso is one of the seven pillars of Zen Buddhist wisdom: it views simplicity as the heart of enlightened living, and the grace and beauty that emerges wh...
Steel
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, ...
Brass
Large Moorish Arabic Brass Folding Tray Table, Spain 1940s
Located in Barcelona, ES
Moorish Style Spanish brass repousse tray table on folding wooden turned stand, Spain, 1940s-1950s. This spanish table was handcrafted at the mid-20th ce...
Brass
$1,200
Moorish Round Brass Tray
Located in Queens, NY
Moorish (19/20th Century) round brass tray with scalloped edge.
Brass
Sold
H 22.45 in Dm 24.41 in
Rare Antique Eastern Drinks Table With Lift Off Brass Trays & Bobbin Stand
Located in Reading, Berkshire
A Beautiful and Unusual Brass Etched Tea Table Featuring Two Tiered Brass Trays, With An Oak Bobbin Gate Legged Folding Table Both Trays Can Be Removed To Serve Drinks, & Both ...
Brass
Moorish Round Brass Tray
Located in Queens, NY
Moorish (19/20th Century) round brass tray with scalloped edge.
Brass
Moorish Moroccan Style Hardwood Folding Brass Tray Drinks Table
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Distinctive six-leg brass tray top drink table or side table made in the Moorish Moroccan taste. The table features a folding base with spool or bobbin turned legs ending with shaped...
Brass
Sold
H 19.3 in Dm 28.75 in
60s Middle Eastern Syrian Brass Tray Table Inlaid Folding Stand Moorish Damascus
Located in Sherborne, Dorset
This lovely Syrian tray table was bought by a British serviceman who was stationed in the Middle East during the 1950s. We bought this lovely piece from his son. It is intricately in...
Brass
Moorish Moroccan Style Hardwood Folding Brass Tray Drinks Table
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Distinctive six-leg brass tray top drink table or side table made in the Moorish Moroccan taste. The table features a folding base with square legs ending with shaped feet. The base is topped with a patinated brass tray with etched decoration and Asian symbols...
Brass
Antique Moroccan Tray Table
Located in Hudson, NY
This antique tray table is one of our favorite Moroccan finds. Simple in its design and construction, the table legs and removable tray top are embe...
Leather, Wood
Middle Eastern Egyptian Antique Round Brass Tray 17 in.
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Middle Eastern Egyptian antique round brass tray. The handcrafted circular brass platter is decorated and hammered with Islamic Moorish designs. Heavy brass with very fine hand chased floral and geometric Arabic designs...
Brass
Antique Moorish Brass Tray With Arabic Calligraphy Writing
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Large fine antique 19th century decorative round brass tray, serving platter.Rare Find, large brass tray 22"5 engraved with calligraphy in Mamluk Style. Museum quality collector piec...
Brass
Moroccan Round Brass Tray Table on Folding Stand
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Engraved and embossed large 36 inches round midcentury Moroccan brass tray table. Polished brass Moroccan tray, very good condition, st...
Brass
Sold
H 21.26 in Dm 22.05 in
Moorish Moroccan Liberty's London Brass Folding Tray Table Engraved Temple Top
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
We are delighted to offer for sale this very decorative Moroccan Moorish Liberty’s of London retailed antique folding tray table with etched...
Brass
Oversized Brass Tray / Ebony Base
Located in Malibu, CA
Oversized vintage mid-century brass tray table on ebony folding base. Table base is 14" H.
Brass
Sold
H 19.3 in Dm 27.96 in
Antique Moorish Moroccan Liberty's London Brass Folding Tray Table Engraved Top
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
We are delighted to offer for sale this very decorative Moroccan Moorish Liberty’s of London retailed antique folding tray table with etched...
Brass
