Dining table - Walnut - Round turn with a clove hitch

Round Table with sailcloth finish, Walnut - original England, Second half of the 19th century - with a tilting key mechanism to position it “on sail” and wheels under the foot, allowing easy storage.
Top veneered in walnut burl matching the under-top band.
Central turned leg resting on three contoured feet carved with volutes and shell-like ends.

Product condition: excellent thanks to the meticulous care of the owner, periodically coaxed with varnish and alcohol.
NO damages, NO restoration, NO alterations.
Dimensions (cm):
Height: 77
Diameter: 135
Pickup in Rome-North, ground floor, vehicle access possible.

The discreet - and unsustainable - charm of the “sail” table. From the late 18th century, the first models of this type of dining table appeared, whose top is vertically reclinable, hence the term “sail.” The goal is to take up less space and store it in a corner when not in use. The need arose in bourgeois city homes, which, although wealthy, did not enjoy the unlimited space of aristocratic country residences. The new luxury of this social class had to contend with space in crowded Dickensian London. The sail table thus became a fashion, even in homes that certainly did not suffer from a lack of space, and it spread to the rest of Europe. The grain of ancient woods, in this case walnut, continues to enchant, enhanced by the vertical position.
The need harmonizes with today’s living, balancing practicality with a touch of class, then as now.