How do you open a games table?

Many tables utilise a swivelling mechanism where the top rotates ninety degrees before folding outward to reveal the interior playing surface. Other versions feature lift-off boards or foldover leaves supported by pivoting frame sections. Once opened, the internal compartment or backgammon layout becomes accessible, often exposing subsidiary boards for chess or card play beneath the primary panel.

What games do these tables play?

These multifunctional pieces primarily accommodate backgammon, chess and cribbage through reversible or inlaid boards built directly into the top. Card playing surfaces and poker layouts also appear on folding models. Many Victorian examples combine these board games with sewing table compartments, holding counters, dice and dice shakers within the concealed wells.

Where were Damascus games tables made?

Damascus tables originate from Syrian and Levantine workshops, where artisans practised traditional mosaic woodwork. These pieces travelled through international trade routes to European markets during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. They are distinguished by dense geometric patterns constructed from wood inlay, bone and mother-of-pearl.

How do I date a games table?

Dating relies on stylistic markers, timber choices and construction techniques characteristic of specific eras such as the Regency or Victorian periods. Regency examples often feature rosewood with formal classical lines, while mid-Victorian pieces favour burr walnut and floral marquetry. Later nineteenth and early twentieth-century examples include Syrian import pieces marked by intricate mother-of-pearl and bone mosaic work.