Table, Cricket, 18th Century, English George I, Vernacular, Elm, Ash
11302
This cricket table exudes character which you expect from vernacular furniture. The thick, elm top is tactile and sculptural with beautiful figuring and an exceptional patina. It stands well on the three splayed legs which complement the sculptural quality of the table.
The exceptional, large, thick, circular single-piece top with beautiful figuring. The underside domed. Standing on three ash hand-worked splayed legs which are morticed and wedged through the thick top. Excellent original color and patina. Diameter 56cm., 22in x 55cm., 21 1/2in., Height 59cm., 23in.
'Criquet' (old French) and 'kricke' (Middle Dutch) translate as stick so it is reasonable to assume that the term 'cricket table' describes a table that has three stick legs. The appeal of early three-legged furniture was practical because three legs are more stable than four on uneven floors which were common in cottages, inns and taverns.
It is also thought that 'cricket', is a variation of 'cracket' (first recorded in 1635), which describes a low three-legged stool. Crackets were made very low so that the sitter would remain below the smoke emanating from the open fires in dwellings without chimneys or smokeholes. Cricket tables date from around the same period and were made, like their lowly rustic counterparts, with three turned (or shaved) legs tenoned into a solid plank top. The quality of the timber and the height are the distinctive features between them.
18th Century
1700-1760
Ash,Elm
United Kingdom
Collectors
Folk Art (Of the period)
Joinery
EXCELLENT
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