An American Lacquered Chinoiserie Folding Card Table c.1923

SOLD
Origin: American
Period: Early 20thC
Provenance: Unknown
Date: c.1923
The Top: 30” square
Height: 27.5”

The early 20thC black lacquered transportable folding card table of square form, having an inset leatherette top with a gilded border depicting chinoiserie inspired motifs and scenes, on four tapering legs, and stamped to the underside “Patented May 1 & Dec 18, 1923, F.BM. Co Hoboken N.J.” surviving from the first quarter of twentieth century America.

The table is in good working and operating order with the legs folding away neatly for transportation. There is expected wear to the lacquer as you would expect for a table that is almost a century old. The top surface is in good order. As the nature of the table is portable it does mean that there is some movement in the legs when it is upright and assembled.

The fine art of chinoiserie has been in existence since the 17th century, and it depicts Chinese style designs applied to furniture, ceramics and fabrics. Chinoiserie is wonderfully beautiful, and tends to depict realistic and fictitious animals, insects, people, foliage, structures and various other elaborate Asian designs that can be incorporated into a number of decorating themes. Antique pieces embellished with Asian-style chinoiserie and high-quality japanning are coated with baked-on layers that look very much like modern-day high-gloss enamel.

This table was made by the Ferguson Brothers, Hoboken, New Jersey where they made card and game tables selling at around $13 each or approx. $139.96 in todays currency. They were founded 1878 in New York City and were located in Hoboken from 1900 until the business closed in 1945.

Whether using this for poker or simply as a side table it provides good decorative bang for your buck.
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