EXTENDING TABLE (6 M). MAHOGANY, METAL, ETC. ENGLAND, CIRCA 1930.

Extendable table (6 metres). Mahogany wood, metal, leather, etc. England, circa 1930. Rectangular table made of mahogany carved with rectangles of another material in green (leather) edged in gold on the top, which has eight legs finished with rollers and a “worm screw” system under the tabletop that allows its extension up to six meters thanks to a manually operated crank that is attached to one of the smaller sides of the piece. The claws are very common in 18th century English examples (a type known as “claw and ball” with a cabriolet leg, a shape that, although more traditionally French, spread rapidly throughout Europe). The main theory of experts is that it is a design derived from Chinese art (a dragon’s claw grasping a pearl or similar) and that it would have reached the West thanks to the trade in porcelain, silk, etc., appearing for the first time in English silverware and, from there, spreading to other arts. The transformation of the dragon’s claw into a lion’s paw is attributed to English cabinetmakers, this animal symbolising English authority. Thus, the “ball and claw” was popular in England between approximately 1710 and 1750 (later recovering as the styles of the past became fashionable again), and with variations in shape and lines (shape of the claw, details of the nails and “fingers”, proportion between the sphere and the extremity, etc.) depending on the area in which this decorative element was used. The decoration present towards the waist of the piece of furniture and on the edge of the upper board, in slight relief and leaving the wood in its colour, is of an architectural and vegetal theme and shows an influence of ancient classical models (Greek and Roman) both in its motifs and in the composition (symmetry on the sides of the piece of furniture, harmony, etc.). As for the presence of the fabric upholstery on the top, this is a more common element in tables intended for conferences, desks or games than in dining tables (which usually have a wooden top), although this detail does not exclude any function for it. Also worth noting is the preservation of the rollers on the legs, an element that used to be removed or lost with use and the passage of time. 428x160x86 cm. Extended 700x160x86 cm Height up to ball 75 cms.