Sunday, February 06, 2005
 

The Spirit Is Willing, But The Flesh Is Lazy and Forgetful

Whoops. Missed a couple of days there. Today's been such a thrill a minute that I didn't ever bother to change out of my pjs [not purchased from this site, and purchased at more than 50% off, but they are that pattern, and I love them to a ridiculous extent]. I'm sure that all who live with me have enjoyed my pj-clad, slipper-sock wearing figure slouching around the house all day.

Actually: I got up. I realized I felt crummy (no specific complaint, just crummy). I went back to bed. I got up around noon. I had Pop Tarts. I tried to read and ended up with a splitting headache. I also had sinus pain, which is when I realized that I'd neglected to take my morning pills. I gave up on reading and watched the highly addictive HGTV for awhile. At times, I flipped through a magazine and worked on cleaning out a piece of furniture (either a desk or a dressing table; it's not clear which) I got at a flea market yesterday. Then I gave up and went to bed. I got up around 6:30 and realized I still felt out of sorts. Eventually, I ate some Kashi crackers (which are soooo yummy and addictive). My system is probably going bipolar: it's trying to process Pop Tarts, which are nothing but chemicals and additives and other assorted fake "food" ingredients, plus the all-natural crackers. My poor confused body. I'm lightheaded and dizzy right now, which my mother attributes to lack of food and which I attribute to the fact that my Sundays always suck. It's like a little tradition.

Moving on. I'm insanely excited about my new piece of furniture, whatever it is. Everyone else in the family thinks it's odd, impractical, and not particularly attractive (granted, the interior needs work). I love it, though. What follows is the text of what I posted to an antiques forum, looking for help in identifying the whateveritis. If you're not interested, you may skip to the end of the post. Or quit reading. Or talk about the Super Bowl (didn't watch). Hey, whatever floats your boat. I'm just blathering here.

The text:



I recently purchased a piece of furniture, and I'm not entirely sure what it is. It looks like either a dressing table or a writing table, but I'm not sure which. I'm guessing it's 1930s or 40s (but I could very well be wrong about that). It's factory-made, wood with a mahogany veneer. It has marquetry around the edges and measures 22"x19". It has thin, slightly curved legs. The top opens up and folds out to 44".

Inside is a flat surface, made of I'm not sure what. It's not in great shape but does have a diamond pattern embossed or printed on it. The man who sold it to me (he had bought it at an estate sale) speculated that there may have once been a leather covering on top of this, but I doubt it. I think that a leather covering, even a thin one, would have prevented the table top from closing completely (that the top would not be flat).

This surface lifts up with a circular brass pull and reveals a mirror on the other side. The inside of the table is 6" deep. It is divided in half longways. One of the long compartments (the one on the table's back) is subdivided into individual compartments that are roughly 3/4 and 1/4 the length of the interior. The front compartment is not divided. It has a lift-out tray 2" deep, and there is an undivided compartment beneath it.

Each side of the fold-out top also contains compartments approximately 1" deep. Each side has three sections and two sliding thin pieces of wood that can be moved to cover or uncover the compartments. The left side's compartments are undivided, and on the right side, two of the three compartments are subdivided into three rectangular compartments. All of these side compartments puzzle me because they seem to be too shallow to hold dressing table items, but the right-side rectangular compartments are not large enough to hold any sort of writing implement. I also wonder what they were intended to hold, because whatever was placed into he compartments would get flipped upside-down when the table was shut.

Another mystery is the paint job on the table's interior. The inside of the table does not have veneer, and, as far as I can tell, it's just plain wood (nothing stain-able, in other words) underneath. The entire interior, excepting the bottom of the lift-out tray, has been painted a pale blue (very 30s or 40s looking shade). I suspect that the job was not done professionally; it's a bit sloppy. It's flaking off in places, and there does not seem to be another coat of paint underneath the current one.

Another question concerns the mirror: I'm not positive it was always there, and I don't know how to tell if it's original or not. Right now, it's surrounded by old tape, probably left over from the old painting job (that's a guess). The mirror itself is in good condition. Needless to say, knowing if the mirror was there originally would help determine if this is a desk or a dressing table.

Any guesses or ideas about this table would be much appreciated. I know absolutely nothing about it, so guesses as to era, purpose, construction, etc. would be appreciated. I'd really appreciate any small bit of information. Whatever this thing is, I fell in love with it immediately, so I'm eager to learn about it.

I could e-mail pictures to anyone who's interested.




Reading: A Question of Blood
Listening: HGTV
Current Obsession: my mystery table
Alice: is sitting on one of her favorite perches, the top of our upright piano.

Elvisette philosophized at 10:54 PM