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Hi,
I'm looking for advice on this (well this is what I was told) sewing table. I want to clean, fix and protect it. I would also really like to understand how they made the impressions or carved the top. Thanks,
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Hi Blackout.
It's not a sewing table as the antique trade knows sewing tables. Sewing tables are made as a ladies work table to hold all the sewing gear. And look nice . There a Victorian / Edwardian thing . They go back a bit earlier late Georgian . Not sure you see them before that .
victorian antique sewing table - Google Search
Edwardian Antique sewing table - Google Search
Its a table , and someone could have used it for working at doing their sewing and the use and name stuck with that table ?
It's a style of furniture that's related to a late Victorian / Edwardian interest people had in woodcarving as a hobby . There was a long period through the 19th century of the furniture industry carving just about everything they did . People started
doing it after hours in classes for them selves, the ones that could afford to do such things .
Ive got an interesting article in The Australian Antique Collector somewhere showing a picture of a class of ci 1890s Woman carvers standing holding all the work . It goes into how it was a Woman's interest / Folk Art sort of thing that was going on .
It was popular here as well as in the UK . They either did things like simple trays as serving trays or mirror frames , and got more complex getting simple furniture made with their carved bits included. Maybe they did the building as well ? or got the hubby to ? That's what your piece is I think . Some better pictures of your base would be good if you could.
Whats interesting is this trend was so popular, that rather than get a piece made from their handy work from new wood, there was a trend to go and get some old piece of furniture and do your carving on that . Earlier period pieces of Georgian , what must have been considered old fashioned stuff in 1890 were taken and carved all over . Stuff from 1680/ 1780 turns up all the time completely carved over in a later style . Its known as being Georgian period but having been Carved Up . Its mostly thought of as vandalism when done on older stuff :) . It happened though . And there's tons of it to be seen . Its the sort of thing Antique dealers and Antique Auctioneers get used to seeing. If your work is watching a constant flow of old stuff going past your eyes each week things like this stand out from the norm . The style they were carving in was a late 19th century carving style . Way different than a 1680 or 1780 carving decoration would look . If I can find the article ill show it . Or related pics .
The work in the top is done with carving chisels . Id say the class room supplied the chisels . Nobody would be buying sets for a one or two hobby sort of thing . There is types of chip carving done with knives and chisels . Not sure if that's what was used there or not ? It could be .
Edit . looks like it is carved that way .
chip carving - Google Search
Id be seeing how well its going to come up if the splits are re glued . If it looks like it will come up straight and the splits go back together well then re glue . Its got to not be cupped to bad as well, which it could be . Fit the top back to the base . See if the wood washes up clean with a test wash . It looks like its Kauri pine of something like that . A lot of that Aussie stuff was Kauri or Hoop Pine . We'd need better pics to see the wood better . Just a basic clean and re polish may do it . If that doesn't work some may go further and lightly sand then polish ? I cant tell from those pics though . Polishing would be with a blonde shellac . Then a wax . The Ubeut hard shellac sold here would be good.
Nice little bit of furniture though . Worth a good try .
Rob
Wow, thank you Rob. I will clean and use shellac and see how it goes. You have introduced me to something very new and interesting to me. Now I think I have something to look forward learning. I edited the post to include better shots of the wood.