Dining table - Walnut - Round turn with a clove hitch

Round table with vela, Walnut - original England, Second half of the 19th century - with a key-wedged mechanism to position it "a vela" and castors under the foot, which allow it to be stored easily.
Top veneered in walnut burl like the band under the tabletop.
Central turned leg resting on three flowing feet carved with volutes and scrolls culminating in a shell.

Product condition: excellent thanks to the meticulous care of the owner, periodically treated with shellac 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 can be reclined vertically, hence the name "Vela". The purpose is to occupy less space and store it in a corner when not in use. The need arose in bourgeois city homes, which, though well-off, did not enjoy the unlimited spaces of aristocratic country residences. The new luxury of this social class has to cope with space in Dickens's crowded London. The sail table thus became a fashion, even in homes that certainly do 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 aligns with today’s living and reconciles practicality with a touch of class, then as now.