20th Century Edwardian Inlaid Occasional Table

This is a delightful antique Edwardian mahogany and inlaid and crossbanded occasional table, circa 1900. This is a drop-leaf table which has a useful drawer with two brass handles. The beautiful fine inlay compliments the mahogany with the whole French polished to a beautiful finish. The table stands on its original brass cup castors. It would look lovely in your sitting room. The item is not CITES pursuant. Condition: In excellent condition having been beautifully restored in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 76 x width 60 x depth 48 - With flaps down. Height 76 x width 100 x depth 48 - When flaps up. Dimensions in inches: Height 2 feet, 6 inches x width 2 feet x depth 1 foot, 7 inches - With flaps down. Height 2 feet, 6 inches x width 3 feet, 3 inches x depth 1 foot, 7 inches - When flaps up. Mahogany is probably one of the largest ‘families’ of hardwood, having many different varieties within its own species. Mahogany has been used for centuries in ship building, house building, furniture making etc and is the core structure of just about every 19th century vanity box, dressing case or jewelry box. It became more of a Victorian trend to dress mahogany with these decorative veneers, such as rosewood, kingwood, burr walnut and coromandel, so that the actual mahogany was almost hidden from view. Mahogany itself is a rich reddish brown wood that can range from being plain in appearance to something that is so vibrant, figured and almost three dimensional in effect. Although mahogany was most often used in its solid form, it also provided some beautifully figured varieties of veneer like ‘Flame’ mahogany and ‘Fiddleback’ mahogany (named after its preferred use in the manufacture of fine musical instruments). Cuban mahogany was so sought after, that by the late 1850s, this particular variety became all but extinct.