Antique Victorian Oval Flame Mahogany Extending Dining Table 19thc

This is a fabulous antique Victorian oval mahogany extending dining table, circa 1850 in date.

The table can comfortably seat eight. It has been hand-crafted from solid mahogany which has a beautiful grain and colour.

The three leaves can be added or removed as required to suit the occasion by a special winding mechanism. The table is raised on four square tapering legs, with applied roundel decoration, that terminate in  brass cap castors which makes it easy to move when required.

This stunning table will stand out in your living or conference room and will definitely become a key piece in your furnishing collection.

Condition:

In excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned polished and waxed in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation.

Dimensions in cm:

Height 76 cm x Width 239 cm x Depth 122 cm  - Fully extendedHeight 76 cm x Width 124 cm x Depth 122 cm  - Leaves removed

Dimensions in inches:

Height 2 foot, 6 inches x Width 7 foot, 10 inches x Depth 4 foot - Fully extendedHeight 2 foot, 6 inches x Width 4 feet, 1 inch x Depth 4 foot - Leaves removed

Winding Mechanism for extending tables

A man by the name of Samuel Hawkins applied for a patent on a screw expander on June 6th, 1861. Presumably, Mr. Hawkins either died or retired because his business was taken over by a young machinist named Joseph Fitter  in 1864.

Joseph Fitter operated a machinist shop where he produced winding mechanisms for extending tables as well as screw expanders for piano stools and other applications at 210 Cheapside, Birmingham England by the name of Britannia Works.

Mahogany

is probably one of the largest ‘families’ of hardwood, having many different varieties within its own species.

Mahogany has been used for centuries in ship building, house building, furniture making etc and is the core structure of just about every 19th century vanity box, dressing case or jewellery box. It became more of a Victorian trend to dress Mahogany with these decorative veneers, such as Burr Walnut and Coromandel, so that the actual Mahogany was almost hidden from view.

Mahogany itself is a rich reddish brown wood that can range from being plain in appearance to something that is so vibrant, figured and almost three dimensional in effect.

Although Mahogany was most often used in its solid form, it also provided some beautifully figured varieties of veneer like ‘Flame’ Mahogany and ‘Fiddleback’ Mahogany (named after its preferred use in the manufacture of fine musical instruments).

Cuban Mahogany was so sought after, that by the late 1850′s, this particular variety became all but extinct.

Our reference: A5309