Kingwood Parquetry Table
When you look for a kingwood parquetry table, you find sophisticated nineteenth-century French furniture built with intricate wood veneers and gilded mounts.
Kingwood Parquetry Table
A kingwood parquetry table displays geometric wood patterns arranged across surfaces like writing desks, occasional tables, and bedside cabinets.
Most examples originate from the nineteenth century, drawing heavily on Louis XV and Louis XVI design vocabulary through revival movements.
The form ranges from large bureau plat desks to small lamp tables and coffee tables.
How they were made
Craftsmen sliced dense kingwood into thin veneers, laying them down in precise geometric cubes or diamond parquetry arrangements over secondary timbers.
Gilded bronze or ormolu mounts were cast and chased to edge the tops, frame drawers, and protect vulnerable corners and legs.
Marble inserts frequently topped side tables and bedside cabinets, adding weight and a cool, smooth surface above the inlaid wood.
Kingwood Parquetry Table Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for kingwood parquetry 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.
Listings feature forms ranging from grand bureau plat desks and card tables down to compact bedside cabinets and nests of tables.
What varies in quality
The crispness of the ormolu cast work dictates the overall standard of the piece, separating mass production from master maker output.
Precision in the parquetry geometry shows how carefully the veneers were cut and fitted without excessive filler in the joints.
Sophistication in mechanical elements, such as hidden drawers or clever writing surfaces, elevates utilitarian furniture into exhibition pieces.
Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener·Paul Sormani·François Linke·CH. Jeanselme and Co·G T Morant·Collingson and Lock·Gillows·E.Kahn
The Kingwood Parquetry Table Glossary
- Kingwood
- A dense, richly grained South American timber with dark violet and brown tones, prized for fine furniture veneers.
- Parquetry
- Geometric wood inlay forming repetitive patterns like cubes, lozenges, or triangles across a tabletop.
- Ormolu
- Gilded bronze mounts applied to furniture edges, feet, and key escutcheons for decorative emphasis.
- Bureau plat
- A freestanding double-sided writing desk featuring a leather-lined top and one or more drawers.
- Marquetry
- Pictorial or floral wood inlay using contrasting veneers, often combined with geometric parquetry.
Kingwood Parquetry Table: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a kingwood parquetry table used for?
These tables served various domestic functions, from writing letters at a bureau plat to holding lamps or bedside essentials in principal rooms.
Smaller occasional and coffee table variants provided versatile surfaces for drawing rooms and boudoirs.
How do I identify Louis XV style?
Louis XV style pieces rely on asymmetrical curves, cabriole legs, and flowing floral or rococo ormolu mounts.
They avoid straight lines in favour of organic contours that soften the silhouette of the furniture.
Are these tables French or English?
The majority of pieces follow French design traditions and manufacture, often created in Paris workshops during the nineteenth century.
Some English firms also produced tables in the French taste or imported Parisian components for domestic assembly.
How do I care for kingwood furniture?
Keep the wood away from direct sunlight and steady heat sources to prevent the delicate veneers from drying and lifting.
Dust gently with a dry cloth and avoid harsh chemical polishes that can damage the French polish surface.