With our absolute highest compliments Bay Colony Antique takes the utmost pleasure in offering this exceptional antique dining table. This table is a premier example of a dropleaf dining table made for a New England home during the first quarter of the 19th century. The entire table is comprised of the finest grade of Santa Dominga or Honduran mahogany imported to America from the exotic rainforests of Central America. We are offering this table for less than what the lumber would cost to secure today from an importer of exotic woods. This piece was constructed by a master furniture builder who had to go to great lengths to first secure the precious mahogany and then painstakingly fashioned the wood over months from raw lumber into the table we now offer.
The table has dropleaf ends which fold upright to expand the surface area for when multiple people are seated for dining. The apron of the table features bold mahogany grain similar to the three boards which comprise the top. Each of the four legs are turned with a rectangular block between the various turned elements. The table is raised on four original brass caster wheels that allow for easy mobility and handling. We note a split in one of the brass caster wheels which is the result of a natural occurring process. Centuries ago, brass craftsmen often forged brass with alloys that were smelted in varying proportions to one another. These variations in the base metals create an internal instability which over years may result in a split as it did with this caster wheel. The most common occurrence where this can be observed is with antique bronze bells. A subtle thin repair line that abuts the edge of one leaf and a slight variation in color of one table leaf that did not see as much sun exposure as the rest of the table are the only other condition notes worthy of mention.
Please note that we photographed this table outside of the home we purchased it from on a day with very poor lighting. Our inventory is growing rapidly so we do not always have the luxury of waiting for perfect lighting conditions to take our pictures. We do not use indoor lighting sets or any other professional methods to take our photos. The reason for this is when someone asks if an item will look as good in person as it does in a photo, we can reply that it will look better than our pictures as that is the truth. Our photos of this table suffer from strong glare and contrasts between surfaces which really are just a product of bad lighting and a reflection from the snow. We expect this table to sell before we have a moment to improve our photos of it but nonetheless wish to disclose everything we can for the consideration of whomever may wish to give this wonderful table a deserving home. The table measures 20 1/4" wide x 42" deep x 28 1/4" tall. When the leaves are locked up the tabletop measures 49" wide x 42" deep.
