subject: Trestle Table Eating In Medieval Style [print this page] Early trestle table design was practical in construction and desirable because it was easy to disassemble and transport. It was and still is the perfect occasional table. With it's simple design, those seated do not have the inconvenience of four fixed legs at each corner of the table getting in one's way much like the design of a pedestal table.
The trestle tables built by the Amish are very well known for their craftsmanship and are a traditional Americana design of furniture often seen with spindle backed chairs. Amish wood craftsmen have kept the tradition alive and modern homeowners can acquire beautifully crafted pieces at affordable prices. It is the oldest American dining table and quite possibly the oldest design the world over. Shaker and Craftsman style furniture also employ this same design aesthetic.
Designs ranged from plain and very utilitarian to very regal and ornately decorated. Sawbuck, melon-turn and slab-side were the popular choices of style. Sawbuck is an X-shape support system, a sawbuck device used in holding the wood is where the named derives from. Melon-turned was spherical and very ornate rounded post ends, a predecessor to the pedestal design. The slab-sided design is slabs of wood possibly decorated and placed vertically holding the ends up between the trestles.
In the 16th century the basic trestle design was made more static and the gate-leg and refractory tables were created. With the ease of assembly and storage this design of table has been very popular to this day as those seated are not effected by the legs of a traditional table with fixed corner legs.
Imagine the great halls of Europe, Henry the XVIII ripping into a leg of wild boar served at his massive trestle table. In castles of kings, in great halls of the wealthy between the 12th and 15th centuries these great tables served feasts. Diners would be seated on long benches or stools on one side of the table while the other was used for serving. This may be why earlier tables were narrower. After the feast the table could be dismantled and stored to one side of the great hall. Free standing pillars with cruciform feet for stability were used for support.
These pillars were sometimes just plain and other times ornately decorated. Very few medieval tables exist today, but a fine example can be viewed in the Great Hall of Penshurst Place, Kent where a pair has been in existence since the 15th century. Something of this caliber, if you were lucky enough to find it, would be priceless.
Diners from the middle Ages looking for a place to set out the roasted boar and pheasant just laid out a couple of boards across two stands and called it a feast. Today we place a piece of plywood across a couple of sawhorses and call it a picnic. Though this design has taken many forms, some plain, some ornate but it is basically the same design from ancient time.
Trestle designs were used by the military in the field, placed in wagons or used on ships. They were mentioned in writings by Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet. The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC has a portrait of one in their collection showing it as one of the earliest examples as an art piece, an important piece of American history.
by: Francis Steeds
welcome to Insurances.net (https://www.insurances.net)
