19th Century William IV Mahogany Drop-Leaf Occasional Table

An exquisite antique William IV flame mahogany drop leaf work table, circa 1830 in date. The drop-leaf top with rounded corners supported by fly brackets ornamented with foliate scroll carving, above two cock-beaded drawers to one side and corresponding dummy drawers to the other. The upper drawer having a baize lined writing slope above a pen and ink compartment housing a glass ink pot with ‘Mosley’s Revolving’ lid. The lower drawer with a partitioned interior above a deep U-shaped fabric well clad in yellow damask and cradled by a curved support above a short square stem with gadrooned moulding meeting a quadriform platform raised on carved lion paw feet. This piece is of the highest quality, made of decorative figured flame mahogany and is in excellent condition. A fabulous example of William IV period furniture. The item is not CITES pursuant. Condition: In excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned, polished and waxed in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 79 x Width 41 x Depth 51 – With flaps down Height 79 x Width 83 x Depth 51 – With flaps up Dimensions in inches: Height 31.1 x Width 16.1 x Depth 20.1 – With flaps down Height 31.1 x Width 32.7 x Depth 20.1 – With flaps up Flame Mahogany Thomas Sheraton – 18th century furniture designer, once characterized mahogany as “best suited to furniture where strength is demanded as well as a wood that works up easily, has a beautiful figure and polishes so well that it is an ornament to any room in which it may be placed.” Matching his words to his work, Sheraton designed much mahogany furniture. The qualities that impressed Sheraton are particularly evident in a distinctive pattern of wood called “flame mahogany.” The flame figure in the wood is revealed by slicing through the face of the branch at the point where it joins another element of the tree. William IV – the brief reign of William IV (1830 – 1837) marked a period of transition between the Regency period (which had been an age of innovation based on revivalist styles such as ancient Egypt, and the Grecian designs) and the Victorian era. William IV furniture is similar in style to Regency furniture with many of the designs from the Regency period being copied but often executed in a much heavier manner with chairs, tables and other items being coarser and clumsier in appearance when compared with those made during the Regency period. Popular pieces produced during this period include tilt top dining tables and pillared extendable tables. Sofa tables and drum tables were also favoured at the time as were sideboards and card tables. Heavy brass fittings were a prominent feature such as lion’s paw feet on tables. Chairs frequently sported sabre legs to the back with stumpy bulbous turned legs to the front. The rope twist carved back was also much in favour. This period also saw the introduction of the more exotic timbers such as zebra wood. With the Industrial Revolution getting under way furniture making saw the increased use of mechanisation a trend set to accelerate during the Victorian period. This short, but important transitional period eventually gave way to the romanticism of the Victorians but the furniture it produced was usually of good quality and it remains sought after and desirable today.