Pair of George III Period Mahogany Card & Tea Tables

A rare pair of George III period mahogany and boxwood strung fold over top tea and card tables, the rectangular tops with canted corners, each frieze with a central drawer and the whole raised on fine square tapered legs terminating in spade feet. Both tables have a double gate action to the rear legs making them very stable when opened and in use. These card tables were often part of a suite of tables including some which have a wooden surface inside, as opposed to the baized playing surface. These are normally referred to as tea tables. Over the years however many of these suites have become separated into pairs and nowadays even most of those pairs have been split into single tables. Card games were a popular pastime during the 18th and 19th centuries and the British were famed for betting on anything from Cock-fighting to rain drops running down a window!