Bay Colony Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this wonderful early 20th century antique Mahogany drop leaf table with icicle inlays. Icicle inlaid furniture is mainly associated with Newport RI cabinet makers, but we’ve handled a fair amount from Connecticut and Massachusetts as well. On late 18th & early 19th examples you can compare the subtle differences in the shading & design and narrow it down to a more specific area. If the icicles are topped with a bookend inlay it’s usually a sign of Rhode Island origins, but these rules are not set in stone, and we do come across exceptions to the accepted standards semi regularly. Sometimes the icicle inlays are segmented with horizontal lines or decorated with a string inlay lattice work. The icicle inlays on this table are uninterrupted and are topped with a fantastic, variegated wood inlay consisting of Ebony & Satinwood
The table has an ovolo shaped top that’s accented with a string inlay around the border & edge. The same string inlay continues down the tapered legs and is also present on the drawer & back panel. There’s an Ebony and Satinwood compound inlay along the apron and the ankle cuffs. There is some inlay loss around the apron, but most importantly the totality of the icicle inlays and the variegated inlays above them remain intact. There are some shadows from overhead power lines in our photos that we didn’t notice until we received the pictures back from our editors. We thought about rephotographing the table, but we have a tremendous backlog of new inventory we need to start processing and don’t think the shadows really obscured the view of the table. The table does have some minor surface wear & a some light crackling to the old finish, but nothing that would warrant a refinishing in our opinion. We have an icicle inlay card table for sale at the moment and think the two pieces would complement one another nicely despite the slight differences in their design. The tabletop measures 17 1/2” wide x 32 3/4” deep when the leaves are closed. When the leaves are locked up the table measures 32” wide x 32 3/4” deep x 28 1/4” tall.
