Kingwood Fold Over Table
A kingwood fold over table brings warmth and French style to a room, offering a clever surface that opens from a console to a card or games table.
Kingwood Fold Over Table
A kingwood fold over table is primarily a card or games table surfaced in figured timber, designed to sit neatly against a wall until evening play begins. The pieces on this page span the Victorian era, the nineteenth century, and the Regency period, with several examples following French Louis XV and Rococo revival styles.
Most entries are card tables or games tables that utilise a hinged top, revealing a baize-lined surface when opened. Makers often integrated cross-banded details, marquetry inlay, and ormolu mounts to enhance the visual weight of the form.
Victorian interpretations tend toward opulent revival designs featuring gilt mounts and porcelain plaques. Meanwhile, simpler Regency models rely on the natural grain of the timber rather than heavy metal mounts or intricate inlays.
How they were made
Cabinetmakers constructed these tables using a sturdy carcase timber beneath decorative veneers of kingwood and rosewood, often incorporating ebonised wood and ebony details for contrast. The rich, purplish-brown grain of kingwood was typically cut to show striking patterns across the fold-over top.
Metalworkers cast and chased ormolu mounts to edge the aprons and frame the cabriole legs, adding gilded highlights that complemented the warm timber. Marquetry inlay formed floral or geometric motifs, requiring precise hand-cutting of contrasting woods set flush into the surface.
Kingwood Fold Over Table Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for kingwood fold over 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.
Card tables were built to hide secret hinges, ensuring guests suspected nothing until the host flipped the top to reveal the green baize.
What varies in quality
The distinction between ordinary and exceptional work rests on the crispness of the ormolu casting and the complexity of the marquetry. Finer workshops employed heavier bronze mounts with deep chasing, whereas standard pieces relied on simpler brass trims.
Timber selection drives the visual success of the piece. Master makers matched the grain across the fold-over leaves so the pattern appeared continuous when opened, while lesser examples used mismatched veneers with little regard for symmetry.
G T Morant·Henry Dasson
The Kingwood Fold Over Table Glossary
- Kingwood
- A dense, highly figured timber native to Brazil, prized for its distinctive violet-brown colouring and dark grain stripes. It was heavily utilised by elite cabinetmakers in French and English revival furniture.
- Ormolu
- Gilded bronze used for decorative mounts, handles, and sabots on fine furniture. The technique involves applying a mercury-gold amalgam to cast bronze before heating.
- Marquetry
- The art of applying thin veneers of different woods, metals, or shells to a structural carcase to create pictorial or geometric designs. It differs from inlay by assembling the pattern before fixing it to the surface.
- Cross-banded
- A border technique where veneer strips are laid running perpendicular to the main grain of the tabletop. This frames the central panel and highlights the edge of the furniture.
- Baize
- A coarse woollen fabric, traditionally green or red, used to line the playing surface of card and games tables. It provides a soft, non-slip texture for handling cards.
Kingwood Fold Over Table: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a kingwood fold over table?
A kingwood fold over table is a dual-purpose piece of furniture featuring a hinged top that doubles in size when opened. When closed, it functions as a slender console or side table against a wall.
When opened for play, it reveals a baize-lined surface historically used for cards and board games. These tables gained immense popularity during the nineteenth century, particularly in French revival styles.
How do I date a kingwood table?
Dating relies on stylistic clues, construction methods, and the materials combined with the timber. Tables featuring heavy ormolu mounts and elaborate floral marquetry often point to the Victorian era or French Rococo revival periods.
Simpler forms with cleaner lines frequently align with Regency periods or more understated nineteenth-century workshops. Examining the interior secondary woods also helps establish the age of the piece.
Where should I place it?
These tables suit entryways, drawing rooms, or sitting areas where a slim profile is required against a wall. Keeping the top closed highlights the decorative kingwood grain and any ormolu mounts.
They also function well behind a sofa or beneath a mirror. Opening the table requires sufficient clearance around it to accommodate guests during social evenings.
How do I maintain the wood?
Kingwood benefits from regular dusting with a soft, dry cloth to prevent grit from scratching the polished surface. Avoid placing the table in direct sunlight or near heat sources, which can dry out the timber and crack the veneer.
Applying a quality wax occasionally nourishes the grain and preserves the depth of the polish. Care must also be taken around the brass and ormolu mounts during cleaning.