George III Mahogany Tea Table with Birdcage Top

• Mahogany - Mahogany is a dense, close grained red-coloured timber from the West Indies and Central America. It was first imported into Europe in the the early 18th century and its use continued through the 19th century. It was popular for furniture making because of its strength, the wide boards available, the distinctive grain on some boards, termed flame mahogany and the rich warm colour of the timber when it was polished.. The "flame" was produced where a limb grew out from the trunk of the tree, and this timber was usually sliced into veneers for feature panels on doors, backs and cornices.
  
  Some terms used to describe mahogany relate to the country from which it originally came, such as "Cuban" mahogany, "Honduras" mahogany etc. However unless the wood has been tested the names assigned are more a selling feature, rather than a true indication of the timber's origin.
• Pad Foot - In furniture design, a pad foot refers to a type of
  
  furniture foot that is shaped like a flattened ball or pad. It is a common
  
  design element in traditional furniture styles, particularly in English and
  
  American furniture from the 18th and 19th centuries. The pad foot is typically
  
  wider than it is tall, with a broad, flat surface that rests directly on the
  
  floor. It is often carved or turned with decorative details, such as fluting or
  
  ridges, and can be made from a variety of materials, such as wood, metal, or
  
  leather.
  
  
  Pad feet are used to support the legs of various types of
  
  furniture, such as chairs, tables, and cabinets. They are often used in
  
  combination with other types of feet, such as bun feet or bracket feet, to
  
  create a more complex and decorative furniture design. In terms of
  
  functionality, pad feet provide stability and support to furniture pieces, and
  
  can help distribute the weight of the piece evenly across the floor. In terms
  
  of design, they add a classic and traditional look to furniture designs, and
  
  are often used to create a sense of elegance and refinement.

• Turning - Any part of a piece of furniture that has been turned and shaped with chisels on a lathe. Turned sections include legs, columns, feet, finials, pedestals, stretchers, spindles etc. There have been many varieties and fashions over the centuries: baluster, melon, barley-sugar, bobbin, cotton-reel, rope-twist, and so on. Split turning implies a turned section that has been cut in half lengthwise and applied to a cabinet front as a false decorative support.
• George Iii - George III (1738 - 1820) was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1760 to 1820.
• Baluster (furniture) - An architectural term for a column in a balustrade or staircase, often defined as a "vase shape". The shape is extensively used in furniture and decorative arts.
  
  In furniture, it is used to describe a chair or table leg turned in that form, or more usually as an inverted baluster, with the bulbous section to the top. Less commonly used to describe a chair back that has the outline of a baluster. A baluster may also be split and applied to the front of a cupboard for ornamentation.
  
  For ceramics and silver items it is often used to describe the shape of the whole item, rather than a part.
  
  In Georgian glassware, the shape is commonly seen in the stem of glasses.
• Provenance - A term used to describe the provable history of an antique or work of art, and thus an additional aid to verifying its authenticity. Provenance can have an inflating effect on the price of an item, particularly if the provenance relates to the early settlement of Australia, a famous person, or royalty. Less significant are previous sales of the item through an auction house or dealer.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• tables, purpose or type
  • pedestal, side and centre 143
  • tea, other 87
• tables, small, period or style - Georgian 262