While one of the characteristics of 18th century Georgian furniture is that it was usually made of oak or mahogany, the Victorian period was characterized by the use of walnut and burnt mahogany. This was mainly simply because it was considered the most decorative at the time, especially when a piece was decorated with elements such as this table.
We have already discussed animal-shaped or claw-shaped ornaments, the period in which they were typical and their possible meanings. Well, the Victorian period was characterized by a preference for borrowing motifs from the mythology of other cultures, combining and experimenting with elements. Queen Victoria (1837-1901) was a master of this, she loved unusual ornamentation, so the period that has her name was characterized by a certain eclecticism, but in addition to the creatures of different belief systems, the appearance of stylistic features such as Rococo and Gothic was also popular. So were the rounded corners and finely sculpted edges that defined the look of all furniture until the 1890s.
The top of this card table was bent, had to be straightened during a special process, followed by gluing and careful grinding, while taking good care to preserve the original lines of the furniture. The table was also varnished, the wheels on the legs were cleaned, the small components on the corners were repaired and the top was crowned with wool of crimson colour that will be used during the game. I show you the before - after pictures.
