SOLD
Origin: Welsh, Probably Carmarthanshire
Period: Carolean/Stuart/Cromwellian/Restoration
Provenance: Unknown
Date: c.1640-60
Width: 71”
Depth: 35”
Height: 29.5” (all at top)

The rare and principally seventeenth century oak and pine scullery table with a beautifully dry aged patination to the whole, the loose (possibly eighteenth century) flippable pine plank top having very unusual hexagonal groupings of pegs in its construction, bearing a huge drawer to one end with later nineteenth century iron handles, to a plain frieze showing the darker dry oak texture and carcass with a central stretcher, survives from the middle part of seventeenth century Wales.

The condition is hugely evocative of its life thus far and as such is not for those who favour perfection but large doses of period character. The top has a little bowing, some joint splits and losses. Both sides to the top show use commensurate with age and use though one side is more heavily used than the other; please see the photographs for a visual reference. There are sections of gnarled loss to the leg ends, and some inserts to the lower sections of each leg where at some stage it has had to be heightened all round due to losses to the feet. The drawer is made from seventeenth century period timber but may be later. The colour and patination is superb to the top and we have given her a light wax. We don’t believe any of these imperfections make the table any less practical but if one is shy of character it may be best to look elsewhere.

This table would have been heavily used in a large country residence for the preparation of food and various household tasks. One could also possibly term this as a dairy table. The hexagonal grouping of the pegs is very unusual and we have not seen this type of construction anywhere else before.

One can just picture the family buzzing around a cacophony of beets, onions, eggs in pickled jars, cold ham, freshly-baked bread, Welsh cakes and a variety of tartlets…can’t you?; a rare survivor and one that can go on being used as intended to this day.
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