A 19th Century Yew Games Table

The rotating top veneered in well chosen burr yew opens to reveal an oval baize playing surface set within a burr yew surround; with a pull-out frieze drawer which has playing surfaces for backgammon and chess; raised on reeded and lotus leaf carved end supports united by a lotus leaf carved stretcher and standing on swept legs which are acanthus carved to the knee and terminate in lion paw feet.

The quality and attention to detail shown in the craftsmanship of this antique games table suggest that it was specially commissioned. The games table is veneered throughout in beautifully figured burr yew and unusually this has been used for the drawer lining as well. Yew is a timber native to the British Isles and its use may well have had patriotic overtones. The design of the end support of with an anthemion at the junction of the legs and the crispness of the acanthus carving suggest that the games table was made by one of the leading cabinet-makers of the early 19th Century such as Gillow of Lancaster and London.