Friday, April 15, 2016
Friday Video: Unfolding an 18thc Gaming Table
Friday, April 15, 2016
Isabella reporting,
For most of us today, furniture doesn't get much more complicated than assembling an Ikea bookcase. But for the cabinetmakers of 18thc Europe, furniture became the highest expression of art, engineering, and ingenuity combined. This gaming table was created by the famed German cabinetmaker David Roentgen (1743-1807) for a wealthy client; furniture like this was prized by the elite classes of the Age of Enlightenment. Featured in this video from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this gaming table was not only an exquisite piece of art with beautifully carved and inlaid wood, but also a cleverly adaptable and useful piece of furniture.
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One of us -- 
9 comments:
That is awesome, and I want one. I'm thinking one leaf for Settlers of Catan, one leaf for RoboRally, one leaf for general card and boardgame playing. Instead of the backgammon inlay, something with built in tile trays to hold all the bits and pieces for games like Small World or Agricola with a kazillion moving parts. You could get a bunch of tile trays and store each game in them and just have them slot in place on the table, perhaps. It would be delightful.
I have a major case of the gimmes for that table.
Disappointed that the slots in the slotted head wood screws in the hinges were not aligned, one of the true signs of craftmanship.
I want one. Now which of my characters could use this...
Its common for period French furniture has been stripped and repolished.So it's more likely that's down to the hinges being unscrewed and put back by the restorer not the makers way.
It's also a computer animated version of the original. You don't know if the screws are accurate.
I want one.
Ikea please take note!
I noticed the screws, too, Paul. If they'd give it to me, I'd fix them. I haven't had such a case of furniture envy since Jefferson's Travel Desk, and I fixed that by buying an excellent reproduction.
Beautiful! I have a gaming table from the same era, but mine is more basic; it only opens to 1 table top, with 1 compartment for storage under the table top. I love the one I have, but have a serious case of table envy for the one in the video! :-)
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