Kingwood Card Table
A kingwood card table brings rich violet-brown grain and meticulous brass mounts to a formal interior.
Kingwood Card Table
A kingwood card table is a fold-over games surface designed for entertaining, combining exotic timber veneers with decorative metal mounts. These tables appear frequently in nineteenth-century French revival designs, particularly following Louis XV and Louis XVI styles.
Most examples found here date from the Victorian era and the later decades of the nineteenth century, often featuring serpentine or demi-lune shapes. Makers applied elaborate marquetry and parquetry patterns across the tops to display the distinctive contrasting tones of the timber.
The folding mechanism typically conceals a baize-lined playing surface beneath a hinged top that rotates or flips open. While some pieces serve primarily as console or side tables when closed, they retain their original function as gaming furniture.
How they were made
Cabinet makers sliced kingwood into thin veneers to create intricate marquetry and geometric parquetry patterns across the folding tops and aprons. They combined this dense timber with contrasting woods like satinwood, walnut, and rosewood to accentuate the grain.
Gilt bronze and ormolu mounts were cast and chased, then secured around the corners, legs, and edges to frame the veneered surfaces. Brass stringing and crossbanding further defined the curves of demi-lune and serpentine frames.
Kingwood Card Table Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for kingwood card table among the pieces listed under this phrase on Sellingantiques today, from the lower quarter to the upper quarter. They describe what is for sale here now, not the wider market.
Materials recorded across the inventory include kingwood, ormolu, brass, rosewood, gilt bronze, porcelain, and walnut.
What varies in quality
The distinction between standard production and exceptional craftsmanship rests in the precision of the veneer work and the weight of the bronze mounts. Finer pieces display deeply chased ormolu and complex floral marquetry that flows seamlessly across the hinges.
Structural harmony also separates the output of prominent workshops from lesser items, particularly in the alignment of the folding mechanism and the crispness of the wood inlay. Cabinet makers who supplied high-end clientele used thicker veneers and more substantial secondary timbers.
G T Morant·François Linke·Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener·Henry Dasson·E Kahn
The Kingwood Card Table Glossary
- Kingwood
- A dense, hard Brazilian timber featuring violet-brown colouring with darker stripes. It was prized by European cabinet makers for high-end veneering.
- Ormolu
- Gilt bronze mounts applied to furniture for decorative contrast. The technique involves treating bronze with an amalgam of gold.
- Marquetry
- The art of applying thin pieces of wood veneer to a structure to form decorative patterns or pictorial scenes. Craftsmen cut contrasting timbers together to ensure a tight fit.
- Parquetry
- A geometric mosaic of wood veneer used to cover floors or furniture surfaces. Triangles, squares, and cubes create repeating patterns across the top.
- Crossbanding
- A border of veneer laid around the edge of a table top so the grain runs perpendicular to the main centre panel. This technique frames the primary wood.
Kingwood Card Table: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I use a kingwood card table?
These tables are designed with a hinged top that folds open to reveal a baize or felt playing surface for card games.
When not in use, the top folds shut and the piece functions as a side table or console against a wall.
What is the difference between marquetry and parquetry?
Marquetry involves cutting varied veneers into pictorial or floral designs such as scrolling foliage and urns.
Parquetry uses geometric shapes like cubes and diamonds to form repeating patterns across the timber surface.
How do I identify a Victorian piece?
Victorian examples often combine French revival styles with heavy ormolu mounts and elaborate marquetry inlay.
They frequently date from the mid to late nineteenth century and show machine-sawn internal secondary woods.
Where should I place it at home?
A demi-lune or console shape sits comfortably flat against a hallway or living room wall when closed.
Ensure the room has stable humidity to protect the delicate veneers and ormolu mounts from shifting.