M. Markley Antiques
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Antique Tables - Item 3095
Louis XIV Dining Table

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Item 3095	Louis XIV Dining Table
Dimensions	Length 52, Width 41½, Height 27, (in inches)
Wood	Solid walnut
Country	France
Date	Circa 1880
Price	$3,295
Description	This oval table is unlike anything we have seen in terms of its oval shape and range of decoration.  While this table was originally designed to extend using leaves, these have been lost to history although the separation joint remains, as seen in the photograph.  Because of the oval shape and curved stretchers, we have described this as a Louis XIV style table although our research reveals no precise lineage.  It is made of solid walnut.  The top is a particularly beautiful example of the depth and richness of patina offered by old-growth walnut.  It is devoid of the cigarette burns and other indignities so common to 19th century furniture.  The frieze just below the top is made up of intricately hand-carved acanthus leaves, lending the table a formal and sophisticated air.  The legs are square in shape and taper to a smaller dimension below the fluted capital.  The stretchers are ornamented by a low-relief beading, sort of a cross between gadrooning and dentil moulding.  At the intersection of the stretchers is a hand-carved ornament resembling a mound of acanthus leaves and tying together not only the entire decorative vocabulary of the table but also its supporting structure.  At the base of each leg a repair has been made to stabilize the leg and stretcher.  The repair is modern and is not visible except on very close examination. It has been deftly executed, involving a customized aluminum bracket.
Reference	Boussel, Patrice, Les Styles du Moyen Age à Louis XIV  (Baschet et Cie, Paris, 1979); Rousseau, Francis, Le Grand Livre des Meubles (Copyright Studio, Paris, 1999)
Uses	Because of its compact size, this table would work well in a kitchen or a small dining room.