Object Description
This is a magnificent antique mid Victorian solid mahogany dining table which can seat twelve diners in comfort, and is Circa 1870 in date.
This beautiful table is in stunning flame mahogany and has four leaves which can be added or removed as required to suit the occasion by a special winding mechanism signed J.Fitter. It stands on four elegantly carved and fluted legs that terminate in their original elegant brass and white porcelain cap castors.
It is a very impressive table which is sure to contribute to successful dinner parties.
Condition:
In really excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned, polished and waxed in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation.
Dimensions in cm:
Height 70 cm x Width 348.5 cm x Depth 134 cm – Fully extended
Height 70 cm x Width 145.5 cm x Depth 134 cm – Leaves Removed
Dimensions in inches:
Height 2 foot, 4 inches x Width 11 foot, 5 inches x Depth 4 foot, 5 inches – Fully extended
Height 2 foot, 4 inches x Width 4 foot, 9 inches x Depth 4 foot, 5 inches – Leaves Removed
Flame Mahogany
Thomas Sheraton – 18th century furniture designer, once characterized mahogany as “best suited to furniture where strength is demanded as well as a wood that works up easily, has a beautiful figure and polishes so well that it is an ornament to any room in which it may be placed.” Matching his words to his work, Sheraton designed much mahogany furniture. The qualities that impressed Sheraton are particularly evident in a distinctive pattern of wood called “flame mahogany.”
The flame figure in the wood is revealed by slicing through the face of the branch at the point where it joins another element of the tree.
Winding Mechanism for extending tables
A man by the name of Samuel Hawkins applied for a patent on a screw expander on June 6th, 1861. Presumably, Mr. Hawkins either died or retired because his business was taken over by a young machinist named Joseph Fitter in 1864.
Joseph Fitter operated a machinist shop where he produced winding mechanisms for extending tables as well as screw expanders for piano stools and other applications at 210 Cheapside, Birmingham England by the name of Britannia Works.
Our reference: A4530