Illus. 237.—“Hundred-legged Table,” 1680-1700.
It has the turned legs, with plain stretchers, of the tables in Illustration [233]. The oval top has drop leaves which are held up by wing-shaped braces, from which comes the modern name for this table, of “butterfly table.”
Illus. 238.—Gate-legged Table,
1680-1700.
The table in Illustration [236] is an unusually fine example of what is now called a “hundred-legged” or “forty-legged” table, evidently from the bewildering number of legs beneath it, which are wofully in the way of the legs of the persons seated around it. This table is made of oak, with twisted legs, and measures four feet by five and a half. The supporting legs, when not in use, swing around under the middle leaf. The table is owned by Dwight Blaney, Esq.
Illustration [237] shows a superb walnut dining-table, now in the rooms of the Albany Historical Society. It measures six and a half feet by six feet. It belonged to Sir William Johnson and when confiscated in 1776 from that Royalist, it was bought by Hon. John Taylor, whose descendants loan it to the Society. These tables are also called “gate-legged,” from the leg which swings under the leaf, like a gate.
Illustration [238] shows a very small, and very rare gate-legged table with trestle feet upon the middle section, enabling it to stand firmly with the leaves dropped. It belongs to Dwight M. Prouty, Esq.