Relevant categories: Dining Tables
(Above photo - William IV Dining Table - Antique Mahogany Extending Tables )
When it comes to having useful pieces of furniture, William IV dining tables are some of the best. Created between 1830 and 1837 (during the reign of King William IV of England, the tables had distinct features. At that time, furniture makers steered clear of Chippendale and Georgian styles to adopt the rococo and gothic styles. Thus, the style used to make these pieces of furniture had been used more than a century earlier and abandoned along the way.
Some people confuse William IV dining tables with their Victorian counterparts but it wasn’t until 1837 that the Victorian period began. In this article, we want to help you choose the right tables from that period by exposing you to the key features. You can identify a genuine William IV dining table by looking at the following characteristics:
1. Types of Wood
(Above photo - Antique Dining Table - William IV Extending Mahogany Diner ) During the reign of William IV in England, furniture makers were already importing exotic woods like mahogany from the Americas. For that reason, most of the furniture (including dining tables) at that time was made from mahogany. However, mahogany wasn’t the only preferred type of wood in making these dining tables. It is not uncommon to find William IV dining tables with veneers made from satinwood, rosewood, or tulipwood. Some even featured beech or pine as the main types of wood.
2. Types of Hardware
(Above photo - William IV Dining Table - Mahogany Extending Antique 19th Century ) Like other pieces of furniture made at that time, William IV dining chairs had some form of hardware made from brass or bronze. For example, you are likely to find dining tables with wind-out handles, brass base castors, and turned reeded legs. In some cases, the hardware elements were gilded to create a clear contrast with the dark mahogany surface.
3. Motifs and Emblems
In the 1980s, furniture makers would put some emblems and motifs on dining tables. The emblems and motifs included crowns, laurel leaves, lions, mythological creatures, torches, and trophies. When you go to buy a William IV dining table, check if the legs have carvings of clubs, lion’s paws, and spades. Most of these elements had featured on Chippendale, Georgian, and Regency furniture. Craftsmen during the William IV period were only copying from some of the finest furniture makers ever to grace England.
4. The Legs
(Above photo - William IV Dining Table - Extending Mahogany Antique Tables ) During the William IV period, furniture makers preferred cabriole legs, which they had borrowed from Chippendale furniture makers. Tables had legs with inward curving ankles and outward curving knees. A lot of care went into carving the cabriole legs, ensuring all of them had the same shape and size. At the base of the legs were square feel with outward-facing lion claws. Again, that’s an element that furniture makers had used for over a century and so cannot solely be attributed to William IV dining tables. So, you should be careful when choosing such a table.
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