What is an antique work table?

A work table is a specialized form of occasional furniture developed in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, primarily designed to store needlework and textile craft materials inside dedicated drawers and suspended wells.

What materials were used in Edwardian work tables?

Edwardian work tables were typically constructed from hardwoods such as walnut, rosewood, or mahogany, often embellished with decorative satinwood marquetry, boxwood stringing, and brass fittings or castors.

How do you identify authentic late nineteenth-century sewing tables?

Authentic period pieces feature hand-cut dovetail joints within the drawers, genuine wood marquetry rather than printed patterns, original brass hardware, and subtle patination consistent with historic age.

How can an antique sewing table be styled in modern interiors?

These versatile pieces serve effectively as side tables beside armchairs, accent tables in hallways, or bedside tables, where the lower wooden trough offers unique secondary storage.

How should an inlaid wooden table be maintained?

Maintain the finish by dusting regularly with a dry microfibre cloth and applying a clear beeswax polish once or twice a year, while avoiding direct sunlight and radiator heat to protect the wood veneers.

for sale €1,404 $1,524

£1,200

Regent Antiques

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Brown Wood Workbox

Inlaid Sewing Table

Id #SA761091

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Antique Edwardian Inlaid Workbox Side Occasional Table C.1890 19th Century

19th century

For Sale by Regent Antiques

Description

This is an antique English workbox table dating from the late 19th Century.

It is made from Gonçalo Alves with fabulous satinwood inlaid decoration. It has a drawer with compartments for cottons, thread, needles, etc, and a large compartment below for wool, cloth, etc. It stands on its original brass and porcelain castors.

This stunning table will create a sense of style in your home which is synonymous with quality furniture pieces.

Condition:

In excellent untouched condition having only been cleaned and waxed, please see photos for confirmation of condition.

Dimensions in cm:

Height 73 x Width 72 x Depth 43

Dimensions in inches:

Height 28.7 x Width 28.3 x Depth 16.9

Gonçalo Alves is a hardwood (from the Portuguese name, Gonçalo Alves). It is sometimes referred to as tigerwood — a name that underscore the wood’s often dramatic, contrasting color scheme.

While the sapwood is very light in color, the heartwood is a sombre brown, with dark streaks that give it a unique look. The wood’s color deepens with exposure and age and even the plainer-looking wood has a natural luster.

Two species are usually listed as sources for gonçalo alves: Astronium fraxinifolium and Astronium graveolens, although other species in the genus may yield similar wood; the amount of striping that is present may vary.

In the high tropical forests of Central and South America, well-drained soils furnish nutrients for a variety of dense, durable hardwoods sought for maritime use, heavyconstruction, and furniture. The Spanish began harvesting in Latin American forests in the early 1500s to provide timber for boatbuilding and repair. By the early 1900s, however, steel ships had replaced wooden ones, and the interest in tropical forests by both Europeans and Americans shifted to appearance-grade woods for furniture.

Although history fails to provide us with a shopping list of species from either harvest period, it's probable that the wood we know today as goncalo alves has always been sought. That's because goncalo alves, considered one of the most beautiful of tropical woods, has a tough reputation, too. Strong and durable, it's used for construction in its homeland and secondarily for fine furniture. Woodworkers elsewhere treasure the wood for decorative items and veneer accents.

Satinwood

is a hard and durable wood with a satinlike sheen, much used in cabinetmaking, especially in marquetry. It comes from two tropical trees of the family Rutaceae (rue family). East Indian or Ceylon satinwood is the yellowish or dark-brown heartwood of Chloroxylon swietenia.

The lustrous, fine-grained, usually figured wood is used for furniture, cabinetwork, veneers, and backs of brushes. West Indian satinwood, sometimes called yellow wood, is considered superior. It is the golden yellow, lustrous, even-grained wood found in the Florida Keys and the West Indies.

It has long been valued for furniture. It is also used for musical instruments, veneers, and other purposes. Satinwood is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Sapindales, family Rutaceae.

Our reference: 09601

Physical Dimensions

Height

73cm (28.74")

Width

72cm (28.35")

Depth

43cm (16.93")

Declaration

Regent Antiques has dated this Edwardian Inlaid Sewing Table to the 19th Century.

Reference Numbers

Sellingantiques Reference

SA761091

Dealers Internal Reference

09601

Description

This is an antique English workbox table dating from the late 19th Century.

It is made from Gonçalo Alves with fabulous satinwood inlaid decoration.

“

It has a drawer with compartments for cottons, thread, needles, etc, and a large compartment below for wool, cloth, etc.

Regent Antiques

It stands on its original brass and porcelain castors.

fig 1. An Edwardian inlaid wooden sewing table featuring marquetry motifs, a single drawer with brass handles, a tapered wooden workbox trough, and square legs with castors. — fig 1. Antique Edwardian Inlaid Workbox Side Occasional Table C.1890 19th Century

This stunning table will create a sense of style in your home which is synonymous with quality furniture pieces.

Condition:

In excellent untouched condition having only been cleaned and waxed, please see photos for confirmation of condition.

fig 2. An Edwardian inlaid wooden sewing table featuring marquetry motifs, a single drawer with brass handles, a tapered wooden workbox trough, and square legs with castors. — fig 2. Antique Edwardian Inlaid Workbox Side Occasional Table C.1890 19th Century

Dimensions in cm:

Height 73 x Width 72 x Depth 43

Dimensions in inches:

Height 28.7 x Width 28.3 x Depth 16.9

Gonçalo Alves is a hardwood (from the Portuguese name, Gonçalo Alves). It is sometimes referred to as tigerwood — a name that underscore the wood’s often dramatic, contrasting color scheme.

fig 3. An Edwardian inlaid wooden sewing table featuring marquetry motifs, a single drawer with brass handles, a tapered wooden workbox trough, and square legs with castors. — fig 3. Antique Edwardian Inlaid Workbox Side Occasional Table C.1890 19th Century

While the sapwood is very light in color, the heartwood is a sombre brown, with dark streaks that give it a unique look. The wood’s color deepens with exposure and age and even the plainer-looking wood has a natural luster.

fig 4. An Edwardian inlaid wooden sewing table featuring marquetry motifs, a single drawer with brass handles, a tapered wooden workbox trough, and square legs with castors. — fig 4. Antique Edwardian Inlaid Workbox Side Occasional Table C.1890 19th Century

Two species are usually listed as sources for gonçalo alves: Astronium fraxinifolium and Astronium graveolens, although other species in the genus may yield similar wood; the amount of striping that is present may vary.

fig 5. An Edwardian inlaid wooden sewing table featuring marquetry motifs, a single drawer with brass handles, a tapered wooden workbox trough, and square legs with castors. — fig 5. Antique Edwardian Inlaid Workbox Side Occasional Table C.1890 19th Century

In the high tropical forests of Central and South America, well-drained soils furnish nutrients for a variety of dense, durable hardwoods sought for maritime use, heavyconstruction, and furniture. The Spanish began harvesting in Latin American forests in the early 1500s to provide timber for boatbuilding and repair. By the early 1900s, however, steel ships had replaced wooden ones, and the interest in tropical forests by both Europeans and Americans shifted to appearance-grade woods for furniture.

fig 6. An Edwardian inlaid wooden sewing table featuring marquetry motifs, a single drawer with brass handles, a tapered wooden workbox trough, and square legs with castors. — fig 6. Antique Edwardian Inlaid Workbox Side Occasional Table C.1890 19th Century

Although history fails to provide us with a shopping list of species from either harvest period, it's probable that the wood we know today as goncalo alves has always been sought. That's because goncalo alves, considered one of the most beautiful of tropical woods, has a tough reputation, too. Strong and durable, it's used for construction in its homeland and secondarily for fine furniture. Woodworkers elsewhere treasure the wood for decorative items and veneer accents.

fig 7. An Edwardian inlaid wooden sewing table featuring marquetry motifs, a single drawer with brass handles, a tapered wooden workbox trough, and square legs with castors. — fig 7. Antique Edwardian Inlaid Workbox Side Occasional Table C.1890 19th Century

Satinwood

is a hard and durable wood with a satinlike sheen, much used in cabinetmaking, especially in marquetry. It comes from two tropical trees of the family Rutaceae (rue family). East Indian or Ceylon satinwood is the yellowish or dark-brown heartwood of Chloroxylon swietenia.

fig 8. An Edwardian inlaid wooden sewing table featuring marquetry motifs, a single drawer with brass handles, a tapered wooden workbox trough, and square legs with castors. — fig 8. Antique Edwardian Inlaid Workbox Side Occasional Table C.1890 19th Century

The lustrous, fine-grained, usually figured wood is used for furniture, cabinetwork, veneers, and backs of brushes. West Indian satinwood, sometimes called yellow wood, is considered superior. It is the golden yellow, lustrous, even-grained wood found in the Florida Keys and the West Indies.

fig 9. An Edwardian inlaid wooden sewing table featuring marquetry motifs, a single drawer with brass handles, a tapered wooden workbox trough, and square legs with castors. — fig 9. Antique Edwardian Inlaid Workbox Side Occasional Table C.1890 19th Century

It has long been valued for furniture. It is also used for musical instruments, veneers, and other purposes. Satinwood is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Sapindales, family Rutaceae.

Our reference: 09601