An Early C18th Oak Cricket Table
The plain circular top on deep, shaped aprons, with splayed, turned and ring-turned legs on elongated bulbous feet, joined by plain, square stretchers.
The tabletop’s smooth, faded colour, and patina is the result of continuous use over a period of two hundred years – drinks and food spilled and cleaned up, elbows and arms rubbing the edge as generations of people have gathered for simple meals or boisterous celebrations around fireplaces in country kitchens and in taverns.
The origin of the name ‘cricket’ for this type of table is uncertain – and an unlikely reference to the game. One possibility is that it derives from the name in Old Dutch for a low three-legged stool – ‘krukje’ (a small crutch), widely made and used throughout the European world since the Middle Ages. Few tools and little expertise were needed in the production of these simple, yet sturdy, forms – peg legs were fitted directly into a seat or top. The same basic construction was adapted for small tables and over time more sophisticated joinery was introduced, as seen in this example. A three-legged stool or table is also steadier on uneven ground or on uneven stone floors. From the eighteenth century on this was less of a problem paving the way for tables and chairs with fixed four legs.
Dimensions
Max Width: 630mm / 24¾"Max Height: 700 / 27½"
Max Depth: 630mm / 24¾"