The
17th Century gateleg table is really just a form
of drop-leaf table. Over the years as the drop-leaf
table evolved with the changing styles, so did
the shape and design of the legs. Early in the
18th Century, the Queen Anne cabriole gateleg
replaced the turned gateleg. A little later the
cabriole leg was displaced by the square or block
Chippendale leg. The Federal period in the United
States brought in a more delicate tapered square
leg, and so on, and so on.
That is why aesthetically the "gate"
of the William-and-Mary, gateleg table is the
element that distinguishes it from all other drop-leaf
styles. It may be small, large enough to hold
a candle and a few papers - or large enough to
use as a dining table (some accommodate up to
a dozen people), but every William-and-Mary gateleg
table displays a contrast between the robust lines
of the legs and gates (usually totaling eight
members) and the simple smooth top. The turned
leg, however, with its turned urns and rings is
what quickly identifies it as a William-and-Mary
piece.
In reality the chances of finding an unidentified
period gateleg table are fairly slim. More often
you'll find an old copy being sold as a period
piece.
During
the first quarter of the 20th Century, both large
manufacturers and smaller, custom furniture makers,
produced countless varieties of the versatile
gateleg table.
Back then, 17th Century furniture was so revered
that the 1927 Furniture Dealers' Reference Book
proclaimed William-and Mary furniture to be, "…
admirably adapted to present day homes, attractive
simple, and not difficult to reproduce."
With so many pieces mistakenly tagged "period
pieces" how can you distinguish between the
two? No matter how old the exterior looks (remember
that 60 or more years of constant use leave surface
nicks, dents, and marks that make a piece appear
older than it really is), the obvious 20th Century
fingerprints found underneath, and inside - modern
saw marks, machine cut dovetails at the drawers,
modern nails, and screws or hinges - will instantly
give a new but old-looking piece away.
If
a first inspection fails to turn up any of the
above, it is time to turn the table over and look
for signs of wear where the heavy gates would
have been moved in and out for over 250 odd years.
The combined weight and pressure of the two parts,
the leaf and the swing-gate, rubbing against one
another will have left a clear pattern or shallow
groove on the leafs under side.
Early gateleg tables were usually made of walnut
or maple, and the later ones of mahogany. Though
there are some tables with straight or unshaped
leaves, the oval leaf that ends just above the
stretcher is most desirable. Now comes the question
of price. Well-proportioned gateleg tables with
good turnings and from the correct period generally
cost $10,000 to $30,000. Reproduction or early
20th Century and late 19th Century gateleg tables
of fine quality, especially custom-made pieces,
usually run from the low thousands to as high
as eight or ten thousand.
The gateleg table provides a functional and interesting
addition to a good furniture collection.
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