Set of Four Fan-Pivoting Nesting Tables in Mahogany with Tapered Legs and Brass Caps, Neoclassical, English Work, circa 1950

This ingenious set is composed of four tables with round tops in varnished mahogany, superimposed and linked by an axis allowing them to be deployed in a fan as needed. Each table rests on finely turned tapered legs, punctuated by rings and ending in brass caps; gilt brass brackets reinforce and underline the junction of the tops and the legs.

This fan-pivoting system is a speciality of mid-20th-century English cabinetmaking, which knew how to combine the tradition of varnished mahogany — inherited from the English 18th century — with functional ingenuity adapted to modern interiors. Folded, the four tables occupy only the footprint of a single pedestal table; deployed, they offer four service surfaces.

Condition report: Good general condition. Mahogany with a fine deep varnish presenting slight marks of use, brass with a soft patina. Rotation mechanism functional. A set as practical as it is decorative, ideal at the end of a sofa or for serving tea.