Relevant categories: Dining Tables
( Above Photo: Oak Refectory Table - Kitchen Farmhouse Dining Tables )
A refectory table is a wooden dining table first used by monks in monasteries from the 14th century. Its base has two pedestals or trestles with a wooden slat joining them. The first refectory tables were made from walnut, with oak becoming common by the 16th century.
A typical refectory table can be shorter, seating ten people or more extended, accommodating 16 people. So, it can be a valuable addition to your home. But do you know how to date a refectory table? Here are some of the things you should consider:
While refectory tables first appeared in monasteries in the middle Ages, their enduring design continued to feature in furniture maker workshops in succeeding centuries. Therefore, you will likely find refectory tables recently made in the early days.
A refectory table has movable under-the-table slats for moving up and creating extra seating space regardless of when it was made. One side of the table might have a drawer holding cutlery and placemats.
A 1600s refectory table would feature heavy walnut wooden plunks, apart from having turned legs. The area around the tabletop tends to have carvings. A refectory table would likely have molded, low-lying stretchers regardless of when it was made.
(Above photo - Large Refectory Table - French Farmhouse Oak Kitchen Dining Tables )
One of the best indicators of a table's age is its color and materials. In the 1600s, refectory tables were mainly made from walnut and had a lighter color. In later centuries, the favorite wool for creating these tables changed to oak, mahogany, ebony, rosewood, etc.
Mahogany has a distinctive dark-brown color, making it easy to identify the table as having been made in the 17th and 18th centuries. Ebony was introduced into Europe from the Americas in the 18th century. It is distinctively black. However, some tables made in the 18th century are likely to be ebonized – a lighter wood is darkened to give an ebony look.
In the latter part of the 19th century and early 20th century, refectory tables are likely to have art deco elements and arts and crafts. You can notice borders of white and shades of yellow, red, aqua, and pink. Fashionable materials of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s included porcelain and Formica.
(Above photo - Extending Refectory Table - Oak Kitchen Farmhouse Dining Tables )
Refectory tables often have tags or stamps indicating the manufacturer's name and model number. But that's only for tables manufactured in the 19th and 20th centuries. Earlier tables might not have a tag but a stamp indicating basic information.
Handmade refectory tables would have a burned-in or carved manufacturer's name and model number. You can quickly tell when and where the table was made with that information. If it's a reproduction, it would have a manufacturer's name. You can date the refectory table by checking online.
(Above photo - Oak Refectory Table - Farmhouse Kitchen Dining 7ft - 215 CM )
The first refectory tables had solid cylindrical with a low, floor-hugging stretcher. Later models of the refectory table might have differently shaped legs and feet. For example, some of the legs are square. Others have two legs instead of four. It all depends on what the designer wants to project.
(Above photo - Oak Refectory Table - Kitchen Farmhouse Dining Tables )
Even though existing in different styles, refectory tables still take center stage in the modern dining room.
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