Vintage Henredon Chinese Chippendale Carved Mahogany Console Table

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Vintage Henredon Chinese Chippendale Carved Mahogany Console Table

An extraordinary vintage Chinese Chippendale-style console or sofa table of grand architectural … Read more Vintage Henredon Chinese Chippendale Carved Mahogany Console Table

An extraordinary vintage Chinese Chippendale-style console or sofa table of grand architectural stature, crafted by premier American luxury cabinetmaker Henredon. Measuring fifty-seven and one-eighth inches long by sixteen and one-half inches deep, this masterwork balances expansive tabletop utility with a slender, corridor-friendly profile. The rectangular top showcases select, richly figured bookmatched mahogany veneers bordered by wide crossbanded mitered framing and a molded ogee perimeter edge. Below, the frieze apron displays an intricate, continuous relief-carved gallery of tessellated diamond and interlaced strapwork fretwork, underscored by a finely gadrooned rope-carved molding running along the entire apron baseline. The table is elevated on substantial straight square legs, embellished on their outward faces with recessed blind fretwork carvings of pierced corner spandrels, elongated diamond lozenges, and open quatrefoil medallions, all resting on tailored plinth block feet. Finished in a lustrous warm medium-brown mahogany that highlights natural chatoyancy and deep carved shadows, this statement piece introduces timeless 18th-century English sophistication, chinoiserie elegance, and heritage luxury to any curated interior.

About the Maker
Founded in 1945 in Morganton, North Carolina, by four visionary furniture executives—Henry Wilson, Ralph Edwards, Donnell VanNoppen, and Sterling Collett—Henredon Furniture Industries became a benchmark of high-end American cabinetmaking. Celebrated throughout the latter half of the twentieth century for museum-caliber historical reproductions, Henredon distinguished itself by procuring rare exotic hardwoods, employing intricate wood-carving techniques, and applying multi-step, hand-applied lacquer glazes. Serving prominent architectural firms and certified interior design showrooms, Henredon blended Old World European artistry with modern structural permanence, producing heirloom case goods that remain benchmarks of elite North Carolina craftsmanship.

Historical Significance
The Chinese Chippendale aesthetic emerged during the mid-eighteenth century when British master designer Thomas Chippendale published The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director. Chippendale synthesized traditional English Georgian architectural symmetry with exotic chinoiserie and Asian design motifs popularized through European trade routes. The resulting style celebrated open lattice fretwork, geometric diamond tracery, and pagoda-inspired forms executed in rich West Indian mahogany. In the late twentieth century, luxury makers like Henredon revived these iconic mid-Georgian patterns for prestigious residential estates, allowing classic fretwork silhouettes and architectural carvings to complement both period-accurate rooms and eclectic transitional homes.

Artisanal Carving and Joinery Details
Every dimension of this console demonstrates Henredon's uncompromising joinery standards and sculptural precision. The solid hardwood frame and legs are anchored with tight mortise-and-tenon joinery, reinforced underneath with corner blocks and heavy metal fasteners. The relief-carved frieze requires hours of specialized tool work to form the interlacing tessellated diamonds and crisp gadrooned beading. On the legs, the recessed blind fretwork incorporates architectural pierced corner brackets, geometric lattice tracery, and delicate floral quatrefoil centers that lend airy visual lightness to solid hardwood pillars. Underneath the tabletop, the piece retains its original Henredon factory inspection label alongside stamped production registry codes.

Specifications and Dimensions
Manufacturer: Henredon Furniture Industries
Style: Chinese Chippendale, Chinoiserie, Traditional, English Georgian
Period: Late Twentieth Century (Circa 1970 to 1989)
Origin: Morganton, North Carolina, United States
Materials: Solid Hardwood, Figured Mahogany Veneers, Protective Lacquer, Metal Joinery Hardware
Object Type: Console Table, Sofa Table, Entryway Table
Overall Length: 57.125 Inches
Overall Depth: 16.5 Inches
Overall Height: 27.75 Inches
Top Surface Design: Bookmatched Figured Mahogany with Mitered Crossbanded Border
Apron Design: Continuous Tessellated Diamond Relief Fretwork with Gadrooned Rope Base
Leg Design: Straight Square Legs with Carved Blind Fretwork, Quatrefoils, and Pierced Spandrels
Foot Design: Molded Plinth Block Feet
Maker Markings: Original Henredon Paper Inspector Label and Stenciled Factory Codes Under Tabletop

Condition Report
This console table is in good to very good vintage estate condition, maintaining complete structural integrity with a sturdy, wobble-free foundation. The solid hardwood legs, carved spandrel brackets, and decorative apron fretwork are firm, tight, and free from cracks, breaks, or structural repairs. The medium-brown mahogany finish retains a warm, healthy luster, displaying minor, honest surface rubs, faint hairline polishing marks, and subtle edge wear consistent with careful residential use and age. The underside preserves its authentic manufacturer paper inspection label and factory identification numbers.

Designer's Note
A shallow, elongated table of these proportions is one of the most versatile functional investments in luxury interior decoration. Measuring over fifty-seven inches long while occupying an exceptionally slim sixteen-and-one-half-inch depth, it is scaled to line an expansive entrance gallery, anchor a grand hallway, or sit behind a floating living room sofa without crowding walkway traffic. The warm mahogany tone pairs seamlessly with antique brass lamps, blue-and-white porcelain urns, and gilded pier mirrors. Its rich historical fretwork introduces architectural interest into traditional English estates, layered grandmillennial townhouses, and transitional living spaces seeking an authentic vintage focal point.

Combining Henredon's legendary woodworking pedigree with the timeless grandeur of 18th-century Chinese Chippendale design, this carved mahogany console table is an exquisite heirloom piece. Whether positioned to welcome guests in a formal foyer or curated to ground a luxurious living room seating arrangement, its sculpted fretwork apron, quatrefoil leg embellishments, and glowing figured veneers ensure it will be admired for generations. See less