The Mystery of the Forgotten Table: Help identify this antique ivory inlaid table.
In
the 1920s, a prominent businessman named Walter Q. Patten purchased
a mansion in Brentwood, an affluent neighborhood in southern
California. One of the pieces he furnished it with is the ivory
inlaid table pictured below.
This table has been passed down through the family to my wife. Regrettably, all details of when and where it was purchased, where it was made and when it was made have been forgotten. I'm posting pictures of it on this page in the hope that someone can tell me what it is, when it was made and where it came from.
The table is 30-inches tall and the top measures 27-inches in diameter. The wood is redder than shown in the photo. The tabletop and central column twist off of the base. It is covered with what I estimate to be over 9,000 pieces of ivory. There are also many pieces of inlaid black wood, which I assume is ebony.
Other than a few chalked numbers, which I assume were put there during shipping, there are no engraved marks anywhere on the table. The undersides of the base and tabletop do have the number 30 printed on a piece of paper and glued to them. There is also a small 30 appliqued near the top of the center pillar.
The following images show details of the inlay work. If your monitor is set to a default of 72 PP these images should be full size.
The
rosette at the center of the table. The ring with the flowers
is
carved out so that the flowers rest on the surface rather
than
being inlaid into the wood.
The
central rosette is surrounded by a ring of stylized plants.
Outside
of that ring is another with 18 potted trees framed by
pairs
of swans or geese and pillars.
The
outer rings consist of a second carved-out ring of flowers,
two
thin ebony rings and a ring of vining flowers, to point out
just
a few. Note: the green tinge to the outermost ring is
an
artifact of processing the image.
The
inlaid work on one of the table's three feet. Ignoring the
stains
and dirt from at least 85 years of use, the inlay work
here
doesn't appear to be as high a quality or as detailed
as
in the rest of the table.
The
central support pillar. Unlike the previous images,
this
picture is much smaller than the original.
Searching the Internet failed to turn up a table like this. I did find a much smaller one with a folding base that had inlay work that looked similar, though not as detailed or extensive. That table was cited as being made in Hushiapur, northern India around 1880.
If you have any information about the table pictured on this page, or a referral to an antiques dealer who might know, please email me at:
7z8a9-df2x.-7t56m_3@earthlink.net
I'd also like to know about what the inlays depict and any symbolic meanings to them.
So far people have written to suggest the table was probably made in northern India, though a few thought it might be Syria. One person who'd seen similar tables in India explained the inlays could be either elephant ivory or camel bone, the columns were of Islamic style and the plant motifs on the feet might be maise.
Thank you very much for visiting this page and any additional information you can provide.