Dining table - Walnut - Round turn with a clove hitch

Round Table with Sail (originally England, late 19th century) with a pin-and-rod mechanism to position it in the “sail” orientation and with casters under the foot, which allow easy stowage.
Top veneered in walnut burl like the under-top band.
Central turned leg resting on three swept feet carved with volutes and scrolls ending in shells.

Product condition: excellent thanks to the meticulous care of the owner, periodically treated with shellac and alcohol.
NO damage, NO restoration, NO alterations.
Dimensions (cm):
Height: 77
Diameter: 135
Pickup in North Rome, 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 could recline vertically, hence the designation “Sail.” The goal was to occupy less space and to store it in a corner when not in use. The need arose in bourgeois urban homes, which, though prosperous, did not enjoy the limitless spaces of aristocratic country residences. The new luxury of this social class had to reckon with space in Dickens’s crowded London. The sail table thus became a fashion, even in homes that did not suffer from a lack of space, and it spread to the rest of Europe. The grains of ancient woods, in this case walnut, continue to enchant, enhanced by the vertical position.
The need harmonizes with today’s living, marrying practicality with a touch of class, then as now.