Small Padauk Wood Tavern Table

An unusual and very interesting early table. The table is entirely constructed of padauk, a hardwood that some people might mistake for mahogany and that Harry Alden, the wood identification expert, says is native to “Indo-Malaysia”. That leads us to believe that it is from a European colony in South Asia. The placement of the feet, outset at the ends of extended stretchers, is a design characteristic we have not seen before. It is not like the typical American and English construction where the leg continues straight down from the top to the floor. A fine quality tropical colonial product that could be Dutch Indonesian though I think it has a bit of a Louis XIV flavor which could point to Mauritius.

We replaced the very worn drawer runners which gave us the opportunity to send one off for testing. We have the originals with the table now.

France 18th c.H: 28.5"W: 32.5"D: 20.5"Reference number: 26927