Object Description
This is a beautiful antique Regency Revival flame mahogany and Gonçalo Alves banded tilt top oval dining table dating from Circa 1920.
The fabulous 6ft 6inch flame mahogany tilt top table can seat eight people in comfort. The top is decoratively crossbanded in Goncal Alves with ebony and boxwood stringing. It sits on a mahogany hand turned column with quadruple swept fluted sabre legs that terminate in brass toes and castors.
There is no mistaking the fine craftsmanship of this handsome table which represents all the very best elements of English furniture making. It is certain to become a treasured addition to your furniture collection and a talking point with guests at meal times.
Condition:
In excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned polished and waxed in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation.
Dimensions in cm:
Height 75 x Width 197 x Depth 136
Dimensions in inches:
Height 2 foot, 5 inches x Width 6 foot, 6 inches x Depth 4 foot, 5 inches
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.
Gonçalo Alves is a hardwood (from the Portuguese name, Gonçalo Alves). It is sometimes referred to as tigerwood — a name that underscore the wood’s often dramatic, contrasting color scheme.
While the sapwood is very light in color, the heartwood is a sombre brown, with dark streaks that give it a unique look. The wood’s color deepens with exposure and age and even the plainer-looking wood has a natural luster.
Two species are usually listed as sources for gonçalo alves: Astronium fraxinifolium and Astronium graveolens, although other species in the genus may yield similar wood; the amount of striping that is present may vary.
In the high tropical forests of Central and South America, well-drained soils furnish nutrients for a variety of dense, durable hardwoods sought for maritime use, heavyconstruction, and furniture. The Spanish began harvesting in Latin American forests in the early 1500s to provide timber for boatbuilding and repair. By the early 1900s, however, steel ships had replaced wooden ones, and the interest in tropical forests by both Europeans and Americans shifted to appearance-grade woods for furniture.
Although history fails to provide us with a shopping list of species from either harvest period, it’s probable that the wood we know today as goncalo alves has always been sought. That’s because goncalo alves, considered one of the most beautiful of tropical woods, has a tough reputation, too. Strong and durable, it’s used for construction in its homeland and secondarily for fine furniture. Woodworkers elsewhere treasure the wood for decorative items and veneer accents.
Our reference: A2982