This is a fabulous high quality antique Victorian mahogany metamorphic triple top games table for cards and roulette, circa 1870 in date.
The hinged triple top opens to reveal the original red baize lined gaming interior for playing cards with counter recesses, and opens again to reveal a further panel with roulette wheel, counter wells with counters and green baize marked scoring panel.
The table sits on solid mahogany fluted square tapered legs, headed with horizontal fluted panels, terminating in spade feet with brass castors.
It is an elegant piece which will enhance a special room in your home.
Condition:
In excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned, polished and waxed in our workshops, the Roulette baize is original, please see photos for confirmation.
Dimensions in cm:
Height 80 x width 94 x depth 56 - Closed
Height 78 x width 112 x depth 112 - open
Dimensions in inches:
Height 31.5 x width 37.0 x depth 22.0 - Closed
Height 30.7 x width 44.1 x depth 44.1 - open
Roulette is a casino game named after the French word meaning little wheel. In the game, players may choose to place bets on either a single number or a range of numbers, the colors red or black, or whether the number is odd or even.
The game has been played in its present form since as early as 1796 in Paris. An early description of the roulette game in its current form is found in a French novel La Roulette, ou le Jour by Jaques Lablee, which describes a roulette wheel in the Palais Royal in Paris in 1796. The description included the house pockets, "There are exactly two slots reserved for the bank, whence it derives its sole mathematical advantage." It then goes on to describe the layout with, "... two betting spaces containing the bank's two numbers, zero and double zero...
Category
English Victorian Antique 1870s Card Tables and Tea Tables