Bay Colony Antiques is proud to offer for sale this wonderful 18th century antique New England Pear wood tilt top tea table. Not many people think of Pear wood when it comes to cabinet making but it is actually very durable yet still workable. Pear wood generally has a straight grain, and its uniformity makes it suitable for projects where you wouldn’t want a busy grain with large arches like Cherry or Walnut. Pears were not native to the Americas but were brought here by early colonists. In addition to providing delicious fruit, pears were one of the preferred fruits to ferment into an alcoholic beverage called Perry. The table has a three board top and a well proportioned column but the legs absolutely steal the show. The cabriolet legs are finely formed with a slender ankle and terminate with slipper feet. What we find most intriguing is how dramatic the angle of the curve is and how the knees plateau at a near 90 degree angle before the final flare at the end that connects to the column. When the top is locked down like in our gallery photo the table has a 33 3/4” diameter and is 28 1/4” tall. When the top is flipped up the table measures 33 3/4” wide x 25” deep x 46 1/2” tall.
