English George III Mahogany Gate Leg Card Game Table circa 1770

GEORGE III FLAMED MAHOGANY DOUBLE GATE-LEG CARD TABLE
England, circa 1770
Raised on ball-and-claw feet

28 3/4" H x 17" D x 36" W [closed]
28" H x 34" D x 36" W [open]

A very attractive card playing table from the third quarter of the 18th century under the reign of King George III, the table features a rectilinear top with spade corners over a conforming apron dressed in book-matched flamed grain mahogany veneers raised on cabriole legs with intricately carved knees, these expertly executed with dramatic acanthus and scrolling foliate motifs curling up and over the knee and one-third of the way down the length of the tapering legs. Note that the back legs are as beautifully and originally carved as the front on the sides, the backs left blank for economy. The legs terminate over fine ball-and-claw feet on all four legs.

The top features the same brilliant book-matched grain profile as the apron, the rays of the grain curving to create an ovular formation in the center of the plank. The upper plank lifts on original butterfly hinges to rest on the two back legs, these gating backward over knuckle joints to create a stable four-point support for the top. By having two gating legs, four chairs are easily able to be pulled up to the four sides of the table without legs getting in the way, a design that is somewhat superior to the single-gating leg form.

Regardless of use for gaming, it is a particularly powerful presentation simply in its pier-table folded form. Classic and timeless.

Condition: Old finish and historical surface throughout, the top with scratches and abrasions in the French polished shellac. Old breakout cracks in planks by hinges, one with a splice repair. Vertical shrinkage cracks in the veneers of the corner joints of the apron. Old damage to the gating knuckles with an applied plank to the dowels on the underside of the knuckle joints. Cracking to the veneers of the back of the apron. Wear to the talons of the feet, one talon with an old chip loss. Subtle curve to the tabletop planks from shrinkage over the centuries. Sturdy, stable and fully enjoyable as an active game table in the home.

ref. 603GWV26P