Demi Lune Games Table
A demi lune games table brings a graceful half-circle silhouette and a dual-purpose top to a room.
Forms and periods
A demi lune games table provides a console surface when closed and a card table when unfolded.
The phrase appears on pieces spanning the eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries, with Edwardian and Georgian examples common.
Makers shaped these tables in mahogany, walnut, and satinwood, often applying inlay or painted decoration.
Materials and construction
Cabinetmakers utilised solid timbers and applied veneers including burr walnut and kingwood to curved frames.
Brass hinges and swing-out legs support the folding top, which often conceals a baize-lined playing surface or a games drawer.
Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical UK retail prices for demi lune games table, calculated from the Sellingantiques database of over a million retail prices indexed since 2003. This retail price guide relies exclusively on Sellingantiques data; no external sources or auction records are used, so the figures do not describe the wider market.
Listings for a demi lune games table span the Georgian, Regency, Victorian, and Edwardian periods in mahogany, walnut, and satinwood.
Judging execution
Quality rests in the precision of the timber matching across the folding leaf and the crispness of the boxwood stringing.
Superior pieces maintain tight joints in the folding mechanism and employ finely figured mahogany or satinwood.
Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener
The Demi Lune Games Table Glossary
- Demi-lune
- Half-moon shape. This French term describes furniture with a flat back edge for placing against a wall and a curved front.
- Crossbanding
- A strip of veneer applied border-wise around the edge of a tabletop. The grain runs perpendicular to the main surface timber.
- Stringing
- Thin inlay lines. Makers used contrasting light wood such as boxwood to outline panels and borders.
- Fold-over top
- A hinged table leaf. It opens to double the surface area for playing cards or taking tea.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you open a demi lune games table?
The top leaf unfolds on brass hinges to reveal the playing surface.
A rear leg swings outward from the frame to support the opened leaf.
Where should a demi lune games table be placed?
The flat back edge sits flush against a wall to function as a console table.
Opened for play, it requires clearance in the room for chairs.
What is inside a games table?
Some versions include a small drawer beneath the top for storing cards and counters.
Others contain a baize-lined interior designed for card games.
How do you date a mahogany games table?
Georgian and Regency examples rely on solid construction, boxwood stringing, and restrained proportions.
Edwardian interpretations often display painted satinwood or lighter mahogany frames.