The fashion trend to decorate modern interiors with antiques has given a second life to the undeservedly forgotten card tables. What it is, few people know today, but an interesting variety of tables has an ancient origin and a rich history: triumph, oblivion and return from oblivion. Today, anyone can buy a card table, plain or vintage, and use it as functional furniture or interior decoration.
Spanish Ombre
Remember the history of Spain and its golden age? Until the middle of the 16th century, the Spanish Empire was actively expanding its colonies, and the nobility knew how not only to fight, but also to have fun. The card game ombre was very popular in the country, where two players fought against a third.
Special tables for ombre did not exist then. The Spaniards played at ordinary tables and did not even suspect that, thanks to the name of the game, they had invented a new type of furniture. From the middle of the 16th century, the power of the empire was shaken, and in the conditions of economicThe decline of the Spanish nobles was not up to games and tables, but the ombre continued its triumphal march across Europe.
How the card table got its name and characteristics
The card game popular among the Spaniards could not be ignored by the neighbors - the French and the British, however, they also spent time at the ombre, adapting ordinary tables for this. To prevent the cards from slipping and to make notes with chalk, the surface of the tabletop was upholstered with thick woolen cloth - cloth, mostly green: bright, but pleasing to the eye.
Russian nobility learned about the new commercial game only in the 18th century, but it was in Russia that the concept of “card table” appeared and firmly entrenched, and what it was was known in every noble house.
The ombre table was necessarily symmetrical, with a square or rectangular top, so all players had an equal playing area. Any bottom rails typical of coffee tables have been ruthlessly removed from the structure so that nothing interferes with the legs of seated players.
For the houses of the aristocracy, card tables were made to order, and if they paid decently, then nothing limited the imagination of the carpentry craftsman. Tables for card games were made from precious woods and inlaid with gold and precious stones. Artfully made card tables in the photo look like real works of art.
However, the triumph of ombre was short-lived, hechange came whist and preference. The once popular game was safely forgotten, but card tables remained as an integral attribute of every we althy home. And although they began to be used for other card games, they did not lose their name.
Card table upgrade
Becoming a familiar element of the interior, the card table expanded its functionality over time. In the evenings, guests sat behind it, as before, and during the day it served as a stand for flowers, books or a place for tea drinking.
The design of the card table has changed, what it is became clear only when it was laid out for the game. When folded, the characteristic cloth upholstery of the tabletop was hidden from view, and the piece of furniture looked like an ordinary dining or coffee table. Several very interesting varieties appeared with original design features for that time:
- table top that can rotate 90°;
- origami folding corners;
- piano folding mechanisms;
- boxes for playing accessories;
- various legs: carved, retractable, one support - a pedestal, etc.
It is important to note that engineering such as the pivoting lid and folding corners became a feature of 19th century card tables. In many types, the traditional coarse cloth was replaced with softer coarse calico or luxurious velvet. In public places where the nobility spentleisure, for playing several games at the same time, paired tables were invented.
Tables, the covers of which were drawn for playing chess or backgammon, became familiar, but they were still called card tables. It is interesting that this name, as it appeared in Russia, has taken root in our country. In other countries, such furniture is called a card table (card table).
Gambling in tsarist Russia was equally fond of both ladies and their gentlemen, but due to a certain brutality inherent in card tables, many men began to place them in their offices. By the way, several very interesting stories are connected with this piece of furniture and famous people.
How the world got its sandwich
Known to every Englishman, Lord John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich was not only a renowned 18th-century diplomat, but also an avid gambler. He sat all night at the card table, and when he got hungry, he ordered to bring him cold beef, laid between two toasted pieces of bread. The First Lord of the Admir alty could not tear himself away from his favorite game and not get his fingers dirty, and thanks to this habit, a sandwich, the most popular dish in the world, was named after him.
Queen of Spades and Sovremennik magazine
It is believed that A. S. Pushkin wrote his mystical story "The Queen of Spades" at the card table in the autumn of 1833 in the ancestral village of Bolshoe Boldino.
The poet and writer Nikolai Nekrasov often spent time at the card table. What it is, he knew firsthand, having received the miserable remnants of the inheritance, which did not have time to lose it.ancestors. However, Nikolai Nekrasov approached the game rationally, relying not on luck, but using intelligence and strategy. Thanks to regular huge winnings, he returned the village of Greshnevo, lost by his ancestors, and published the popular Sovremennik magazine, founded by Pushkin.
Many gambling people of that time literally lived behind green cloth, but with the victory of the proletariat the attribute of the bourgeoisie was forgotten as unnecessary. Rare specimens remained in museums and private collections, and only the 21st century returned card tables from oblivion.
The second life of the card table
Modernly popular interior styles - classic, baroque or empire - required appropriate design elements. Then I remembered the card tables: frilly and elegant, whimsically decorated and strict, but again extremely fashionable.
Every self-respecting furniture manufacturer considered it important to launch the production of these interior items: folding, sliding and transformers, equipping them with additional options: bureaus, shelves or comfortable stools. If someone wants to buy a card oval table, it is unlikely that they will be able to find a ready-made option, because the manufacturers have retained its main feature - a rectangular or square lid of strict symmetry.
But there is no shortage of traditional high-end options. For example, a mahogany card table with bronze finish without modern bells and whistles will cost the buyer about 150-300 thousand rubles.
The tables are beautiful, but in-line production costs from 20 to 60 thousand rubles. You can choose a special one for playing checkers, chess or backgammon. For budget, but nice options from chipboard with wooden legs and a box, you will have to pay from 4 thousand rubles.
People still manage to find old furniture in their attics, sheds or flea markets. In this case, it is better to entrust the restoration of the card table to professionals, they know how to play with time and reanimate the most ancient things, which can then be profitably sold or be proud of a piece of history in the interior of your own home.
