Oak Side Table with Pegged Trestle Base, France, 1950s

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A piece of French country joinery from the 1950s, made in solid oak by hand. A thick top with square … Read more A piece of French country joinery from the 1950s, made in solid oak by hand. A thick top with square edges rests on two full-width uprights that stand on flat feet, and a single stretcher passes right through both uprights and is locked from the outside with wooden keys and pegs. There is not a screw in it: every joint is cut, driven and wedged, and left visible. The oak has darkened to a deep brown with the marks of decades of use, a patina nobody can fake. It is completely rigid for its age. At 60 cm it stands higher than a modern coffee table, which is what makes it useful: it works in front of a sofa, at the end of one, beside an armchair or under a window. It measures 99 cm wide, 60 cm high and 50 cm deep. See less