Object Description
This is a fabulous high quality antique French Oak, roulette games table, Circa 1860 in date.
The games table is made of solid oak. The removable rectangular top lifts off to reveal a hinged baize playing surface for cards. The playing surface slides open to reveal a roulette wheel and the roulette playing surface.
The table is raised on fluted square section supports with ormolu caps and porcelain castors
It is an elegant piece which will enhance a special room in your home.
Condition:
In excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned and polished in our workshops, the baize for the card table and the Roulette is original and also in excellent condition, please see photos for confirmation.
Dimensions in cm:
Height 77 cm x Width 91 cm x Depth 54 cm – Closed
Height 73 cm x Width 130 cm x Depth 77 cm – Open
Dimensions in inches:
Height 2 foot, 6 inches x Width 3 feet x Depth 1 foot, 9 inches – Closed
Height 2 foot, 5 inches x Width 4 foot, 3 inches x Depth 2 foot, 6 inches – Open
Roulette
is a casino game named after the French word meaning little wheel. In the game, players may choose to place bets on either a single number or a range of numbers, the colors red or black, or whether the number is odd or even.
The game has been played in its present form since as early as 1796 in Paris. An early description of the roulette game in its current form is found in a French novel La Roulette, ou le Jour by Jaques Lablee, which describes a roulette wheel in the Palais Royal in Paris in 1796. The description included the house pockets, “There are exactly two slots reserved for the bank, whence it derives its sole mathematical advantage.” It then goes on to describe the layout with, “…two betting spaces containing the bank’s two numbers, zero and double zero”. The book was published in 1801. An even earlier reference to a game of this name was published in regulations for New France (Québec) in 1758, which banned the games of “dice, hoca, faro, and roulette”.
The roulette wheels used in the casinos of Paris in the late 1790s had red for the single zero and black for the double zero. To avoid confusion, the color green was selected for the zeros in roulette wheels starting in the 1800s.
Oak
is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus – Latin “oak tree” having approximately 600 extant species. Oak wood has a density of about 0.75 g/cm3, great strength and hardness, and is very resistant to insect and fungal attack because of its high tannin content. It also has very appealing grain markings, particularly when quartersawn. Oak wood is very durable, easy to maintain and resistant to wear and tear which is why it can be easily handed to the next generations if taken well care of.
Oak wood virtually lasts forever and you can still admire oak furniture in museums and palaces even if it was made many centuries ago. Oak has been prized since the Middle Ages for use in interior panelling of prestigious buildings such as the debating chamber of the House of Commons in London and in the construction of fine furniture.
Our reference: A5172