Tasmanian Musk Wood Exhibition Table, Australian, Circa 1835

• Circa - A Latin term meaning 'about', often used in the antique trade to give an approximate date for the piece, usually considered to be five years on either side of the circa year. Thus, circa 1900 means the piece was made about 1900, probably between 1895 and 1905. The expression is sometimes abbreviated to c.1900.
• Musk Wood - The musk is native to Tasmania, and is found in the rainforests and wetter regions especially along river banks. It grows to a height of between five and fifteen metres, it has a musk scent. A rare timber and therefore mainly used as a veneer in the 19th-century, it is light brown in colour and furniture constructed from it is very expensive.
• Important - Important is a word used in the antique trade to indicate an object should be ranked above other similar objects, and is therefore more valuable.
  
  The object could be considered important because it is by a famous designer or maker, has been shown at a major exhibition, is of exquisite workmanship, is rare or is a "one-off", was made for an important patron, and so on.
  
  Even further up the pecking order are objects that are described in catalogue descriptions as highly important or extraordinarily important.
• 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:

• furniture, material or decoration - Tasmanian musk wood 27
• tables, material - timber specimen and exhibition top 74