Queen Anne Period Mahogany Gate-legged Table

Extremely rare Queen Anne period solid mahogany oval gate-legged table having a drawer at one end, the 8 baluster-turned uprights united by turned stretchers and the 6 legs terminating with Spanish Toes. It is interesting to note the wear on the stretchers where generations of diners have rubbed their boots or shoes on the stretchers flattening the top edges. This table is probably the earliest piece of mahogany furniture we have had in decades. For many years the prevailing wisdom was that Mahogany did not come into use in England for furniture making before about 1720 at the earliest but more recent work on this subject particularly by Doctor Adam Bowett shows that in all probability Mahogany was being imported from much earlier but was not identified as such. The Spanish, or Braganza toe or foot, is usually associated with earlier pieces from the 17th century such as the stools illustrated in the Dictionary of English Furniture, Vol III, Stools figures 29,31 and 34 as well as Tables, Gate-Leg fig 24. All of these are dated from about 1690 to 1700. This scrolled, carved foot is reputed to have its ancestry in Iberian furniture which was imported to England by Charles II when he was married to Catherine of Braganza. This started the fashion apparently here in England. The shape, turnings and construction are all consistent with the late 17th and early 18th centuries and suggest that this might have been made for an important household to go with a set of chairs with comparable legs and feet but from a slightly earlier period. Height: 28”, 71 cms / Width: 48”, 122 cms / Depth: 20”, 51 cms / Open: 56”, 142 cms