Pair of Handcrafted Louis XV-Style End Tables in Mahogany With Elm Burl Tops

Details

Description

A pair of custom handcrafted end tables in the French Louis XV tradition, made by a Southern California craftsman. The … Read more A pair of custom handcrafted end tables in the French Louis XV tradition, made by a Southern California craftsman. The bases are solid Honduras mahogany; the tops are panels of olive elm burl framed by a molded edge.

The form comes straight from 18th-century France: sinuous cabriole legs with a gentle outward flare and a softly scalloped apron. A deep, translucent red finish lets the burl's swirling figure and "eyes" show through rather than hiding them under paint.

THE MATERIALS
Honduras mahogany was the prized cabinet wood of the 18th century, valued for its stability and fine grain. Today it is protected under international CITES trade rules, which makes it genuinely scarce in new furniture. Burl grows from rare knotted formations on the tree, and its figure cannot be reproduced, so each top in this pair is one of a kind.

FOR THE COLLECTOR
The cabriole leg and scalloped apron trace back to the court of Louis XV (reigned 1715 to 1774), when French design turned away from the formal symmetry of Louis XIV toward curving lines and natural forms, the taste we now call Rococo. French provincial makers carried those forms into country houses across France, and they have been made continuously ever since. A matched pair made by hand, from the same boards and by the same maker, is far harder to find than a single table.

AN HEIRLOOM AND A FUTURE ANTIQUE
Built with traditional joinery, these tables are made to be refinished and passed down rather than replaced. Handcrafted, one of a kind and made in America, they will increase in value over time as they become true antiques.

Perfect as bedside tables, flanking a sofa, or as a pair of accent tables in an entry or hallway.

DIMENSIONS (each): 24.5" W x 13.5" D x 26.3" H
MATERIALS: Honduras mahogany; olive elm burl tops
MADE IN: Southern California, USA
CONDITION: Light surface scuffs to aprons and edges, visible in photos; easily touched up.
DELIVERY: Available to the San Diego and Los Angeles areas. Message to arrange. See less