English George III Carved Mahogany Pie Crust Tilt Top Table ca. 1780

ENGLISH GEORGE III CARVED MAHOGANY PIE-CRUST TILT-TOP TABLE
With a very finely and expressively carved baluster, over tripodal anthemion carved legs terminating in ball-and-claw feet | circa 1780
Item # 408LTW21A

A remarkably exhuberant piece, this tilt-top table features a brilliant selection of (now extinct) densely grained mahogany with vibrant rays that move at a diagonal across the surface. The table top tilts in the typical manner, allowing it to be placed against a wall when not in use as a displayed art piece: catching light and showcasing all of the careful choices that went into designing and executing this piece. The top was carved from a single huge plank of the mahogany and was turned down so that the rim is raised from the original plank - it is not an applied decoration but rather one that was laboriously worked down from the plank and then carved and formed into this perfect scalloping display.

The baluster is elaborate with a ring-turned neck over a straight fluted column raised on a swollen vasiform decorated with the most wonderful swirls of acanthus surrounding a hanging bellflower. The cabriole tripodal legs are locked into the baluster with oversized dovetails, the knees wrapped with a stylized foliage while the cabriole legs culminate in powerful elongated ball-and-claw feet. The finish is nearly black in many areas from years of oxidization while the raised elements glow through with a nearly ruby hue from the lifetime of rubbing and touching the underlying mahogany.

Despite two-hundred and fifty years of life, the table remains fresh and vibrant - absolutely useful and enjoyable even in an active home. These are such flexible pieces that can be placed anywhere, moved with almost no difficulty as they are needed elsewhere in the home. A very fine combination of form and function.


Measurements: 27 7/16" H x 23 5/8" D

Condition Report:
Old finish with wear and scuffing throughout: wear to edges of table top, scuffing to the feet and claws, rubbing to the raised areas of the carvings; discoloration and wear to the shellac layer, notable on the feet and in the top where there are circular marks on the table top from where items may have sat at one point and some lighter tones of the shellac (this could be refinished to remove unwanted surface history, but we prefer to leave finishes undisturbed if they remain intact). Apparently original clasp hardware on pedestal and table top, early and likely original screws in the original battens. Sturdy, strong and a very fine presentation.