Table
1700-1710 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
Earlier folding tables often had circular or octagonal tops, but this table is of narrow rectangular form. Its plain double top has a drawer at either end and is supported on two gatelegs. Although the table top has been altered, the legs are mostly original. The construction of the drawers suggests that the table was made around 1710.
Materials & Making
Each half of the top is made of two narrow pieces of elm joined together. As elm boards tend to be wide, the construction indicates that the top has been altered at a later date. The two pieces nearest the hinges have a matching figure, or grain. This suggests that they were once one half of the original top, but have been divided with new sections added on each side. The brass hinges replace original ones of iron. The beading around the drawers is original. The rotating legs of the gates fit into sockets in the rear stretcher. The bulbs on the legs are jointed not turned. This was not done to avoid wasting a thick piece of wood by turning it, but to allow the maker to plane the square sections of the legs to the same level.
Ownership & Use
The table was owned by Percival Griffiths (1861-1937), who over 40 years assembled an important collection of British furniture dating from the first half of the 18th century. He was advised by the furniture historian R.W. Symonds, who published an account of the collection in 1929.
Earlier folding tables often had circular or octagonal tops, but this table is of narrow rectangular form. Its plain double top has a drawer at either end and is supported on two gatelegs. Although the table top has been altered, the legs are mostly original. The construction of the drawers suggests that the table was made around 1710.
Materials & Making
Each half of the top is made of two narrow pieces of elm joined together. As elm boards tend to be wide, the construction indicates that the top has been altered at a later date. The two pieces nearest the hinges have a matching figure, or grain. This suggests that they were once one half of the original top, but have been divided with new sections added on each side. The brass hinges replace original ones of iron. The beading around the drawers is original. The rotating legs of the gates fit into sockets in the rear stretcher. The bulbs on the legs are jointed not turned. This was not done to avoid wasting a thick piece of wood by turning it, but to allow the maker to plane the square sections of the legs to the same level.
Ownership & Use
The table was owned by Percival Griffiths (1861-1937), who over 40 years assembled an important collection of British furniture dating from the first half of the 18th century. He was advised by the furniture historian R.W. Symonds, who published an account of the collection in 1929.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 3 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Elm, turned and joined |
| Brief description | Gate-leg table, elm, 1700-1710, England, 38/2453 |
| Physical description | Taken from dept file: 'Table, turned elm. Narrow oblong rectangular form. The flap being closed, the table is provided with a plain double top and plain friezes at front and back and at either end a drawer fitted with a pendant handle of brass. Four corner legs of domed baluster form terminiating in knopped spinning top feet, connected by a pair of short, turned transverse stretchers and by two longitudinal stretchers. The flap when opened towards the rear of the table, rests on a pair of gate-legs, each consisting of a pivot leg of domed baluster form set between the rear stretcher and the rear frieze, and a domed leg of similar form with spinning-top foot, rotating outwards and connected with its pivot by a short turned stretcher. The rotating leg of the gates, when closed, fit into sockets cut square in the rear stretcher.' |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | British Galleries:
Between 1550 and 1700 house design was changing. More, smaller rooms were provided for different uses. New forms of lightweight, adaptable furniture were created to suit the new arrangements. This table with its two folding, gate legs would have been easy to fold up and move around.(27/03/2003) |
| Credit line | Purchased with Art Fund support |
| Object history | Made in England Bought for £1000 (together with W. 35. 36. 34) from the estate of Percival D. Griffiths, per R. W. Symonds, 29 Burton Street, W1. RP 38/2453 Museum numbers W.34-1939 to W.37-1938, a centre table, tripod table, armillary sphere and gate-leg table, were bought for the Museum by the National Art Collections Fund from the estate of Percival Griffiths (1861-1937). A mirror, W.39-1938 was also given by his widow, Mrs Percival Griffiths, in his memory. Percival Griffiths, who lived at Sandridgebury, Hertfordshire, formed a collection of English furniture dating from the late 17th and early 18th century under the guidance of R.W. Symonds, the prolific writer on English furniture. The Symonds papers are held by Winterthur Museum in the USA. With the Symonds papers is an album of photographs labelled ‘Furniture Sandridgebury No 1’. Symonds wrote a ‘Portrait of a Collector’ about Percival Griffiths, in Country Life, June 13, 1952. R W Symonds’ book ‘English Furniture from Charles II to George II’ (1929) is illustrated with items from the Sandridgebury collection. In the foreword Griffiths writes of his experience and philosophy as a collector. See also 'Intuitively Collected', by Simon Houfe, Country Life 27 December 1990. |
| Summary | Object Type Earlier folding tables often had circular or octagonal tops, but this table is of narrow rectangular form. Its plain double top has a drawer at either end and is supported on two gatelegs. Although the table top has been altered, the legs are mostly original. The construction of the drawers suggests that the table was made around 1710. Materials & Making Each half of the top is made of two narrow pieces of elm joined together. As elm boards tend to be wide, the construction indicates that the top has been altered at a later date. The two pieces nearest the hinges have a matching figure, or grain. This suggests that they were once one half of the original top, but have been divided with new sections added on each side. The brass hinges replace original ones of iron. The beading around the drawers is original. The rotating legs of the gates fit into sockets in the rear stretcher. The bulbs on the legs are jointed not turned. This was not done to avoid wasting a thick piece of wood by turning it, but to allow the maker to plane the square sections of the legs to the same level. Ownership & Use The table was owned by Percival Griffiths (1861-1937), who over 40 years assembled an important collection of British furniture dating from the first half of the 18th century. He was advised by the furniture historian R.W. Symonds, who published an account of the collection in 1929. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.37:1 to 3-1938 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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