French Early Louis XV Provincial Cherry Dining Table With Draw-Out Breadboard

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Early French Louis XV provincial dining table in warm cherry, believed to date to the early 19th century, with a … Read more Early French Louis XV provincial dining table in warm cherry, believed to date to the early 19th century, with a clever draw-out breadboard leaf that slides from beneath the top to add nearly two more feet of length. The plank top is framed by breadboard ends and has mellowed to a deep honey patina, rich with the gentle wear of generations of family meals. A gracefully scalloped apron flows into four tall cabriole legs, each edged with a fine molded bead, and a single drawer with its turned wooden knob tucks into one end, ready for linens or flatware.
The French call this a table with "rallonges à l'italienne", or Italian-style extensions. Rather than opening in the middle for a center leaf, the English way, the leaf is stored under the top and simply pulled out at the end when guests arrive. It was a favorite in country households, where one table served as a kitchen workspace by day and the dining table by night. The Louis XV style, with its cabriole legs and curving apron, was born in the court fashions of the 1720s and 1730s but lived on for generations in the provinces, where village cabinetmakers worked it in local fruitwoods like cherry, known in France as merisier. Pegged mortise-and-tenon joints and a hand-cut dovetailed drawer show this table was made by hand in that tradition. Closed, it seats six comfortably; with the leaf drawn out, there's room for one or two more. Equally at home in a farmhouse kitchen, a dining room with a mix of painted chairs, or as a generous writing table in a library, it brings the warmth and story of rural France to everyday life. From Provence, France! See less