Table
1550-1620 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
This oak table would have been described as a 'joined table' as opposed to a trestle table. The legs were fixed to the top, rather than dismantled and removed when not in use. Such a table would usually have been placed on a dais at the end of the hall, for the master of the house and his more important guests. An alternative location was in the chamber, a highly important room where the master or mistress not only slept but also received guests for dinner.
Time
This table dates from about 1540 or earlier. The brackets and the octagonal balusters with their sharp edges are in the Gothic style, with no classical motifs.
Materials & Making
The table is made of oak and joined with pegs. The slats of wood are set at right angles to each other, which is a sign of early joinery; later examples usually had mitred (diagonally cut) joints.
This oak table would have been described as a 'joined table' as opposed to a trestle table. The legs were fixed to the top, rather than dismantled and removed when not in use. Such a table would usually have been placed on a dais at the end of the hall, for the master of the house and his more important guests. An alternative location was in the chamber, a highly important room where the master or mistress not only slept but also received guests for dinner.
Time
This table dates from about 1540 or earlier. The brackets and the octagonal balusters with their sharp edges are in the Gothic style, with no classical motifs.
Materials & Making
The table is made of oak and joined with pegs. The slats of wood are set at right angles to each other, which is a sign of early joinery; later examples usually had mitred (diagonally cut) joints.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Oak, joined and carved |
| Brief description | Joined, oak dining table, English, c1540; 52/407 & 69/3742 |
| Physical description | Joined dining table of oak, rectangular in form. The top consists of a single long board (originally 22" wide, 2"thick) within a mitred frame of the same thickness; above each leg the top has been reduced in thickness to locate the top. Along the long sides the plain freize rail is supported by eight spandrel brackets of Gothic arched form (3/4" thick. At both ends below the rail is a full width spandrel with ogee arch and cut cross motif. The table has five double baluster legs (max. 5" square) which have been shaped octagonally, below triple collars with square posts above and below; and in the middle of the rear side is a plain octagonal post leg. The legs are united by seven plain stretchers. Construction The frame is joined and pegged. The top panel and frame appear originally to have been butt jointed and glued, but as cross grain shrinkage has occurred the top has been reconstructed, probably in the 20th century, using pegged tenons along both sides at 20" intervals, and 2-3" at the ends. The top panel underside has been adzed. |
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| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Purchased with the assistance of Mr S. W. Wolsey |
| Object history | Bought for £750 from S.W.Wolsey, Ltd., 71 Buckingham Gate, London SW1, with a contribution of £100 from S.W.Wolsey himself. (Wolsey nominal file MA/1/W2687/3 pt.3 1951-63) RP 52/407, 69/3742 Displayed in the Tapestry court, gallery 38 in 1954. On loan to Tamworth in 1969. This is one of the earliest tables in the museum, but in construction and design they correspond to the types made during the 15th century and even earlier. This type of table was placed in the hall on the manor house, on a dias at the end for the master and the more important guests, and the others at right angles to it down the length of the hall. |
| Historical context | Comparable tables Joined oak table displayed in the kitchens at Hampton Court Palace: four octagonal legs, 'breadboard'. top A stool of similar design is illustrated in Victor Chinnery, Oak Furniture: The British Tradition. A History of Early Furniture in the British Isles and New England, rev. ed. (Woodbridge: ACC Art Books, 2016), fig. 3:80 (early 17th century, Rous Lench Collection) |
| Summary | Object Type This oak table would have been described as a 'joined table' as opposed to a trestle table. The legs were fixed to the top, rather than dismantled and removed when not in use. Such a table would usually have been placed on a dais at the end of the hall, for the master of the house and his more important guests. An alternative location was in the chamber, a highly important room where the master or mistress not only slept but also received guests for dinner. Time This table dates from about 1540 or earlier. The brackets and the octagonal balusters with their sharp edges are in the Gothic style, with no classical motifs. Materials & Making The table is made of oak and joined with pegs. The slats of wood are set at right angles to each other, which is a sign of early joinery; later examples usually had mitred (diagonally cut) joints. |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.6-1952 |
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| Record created | April 11, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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