Treasures: Age, standard quality inlay affect value of 1920s game table

This delicately inlaid table is based on the work of Louis Majorelle.

Dear Helaine and Joe:

This game table was given to my parents as a wedding gift in the late 1920s. The top swings open to a green felt top and the drawer holds gambling and gaming paraphernalia. Underneath it is marked “Made in France.” Any information would be appreciated.

Thank you,

S B., Chicago

Dear S. B.

Was someone trying to tell S. B.’s parents that married life is a gamble? Or was there some other less pointed motivation behind this somewhat unusual but very nice wedding gift?

Tables used for playing various games have been around since the 14th century, but the example in today’s question is certainly post-World War I. The late 1920s date S. B. supplied is on the money. Age is important here, but the quality and intricacy of workmanship is much more critical to the overall monetary value.

The table is an attractive example of “marquetry,” or wood veneers that have been applied to a structure, be it a floor or furniture, to form a pattern that is often pictorial in nature. “Parquetry,” on the other hand, consists of wood veneers applied to a surface to create a geometric design. Squares, triangles, lozenges, stars, sun forms, herringbone and chevron designs fall into this category.

And while the table in today’s question has some parquetry work, its swag and floral design is marquetry.

The table is in a style that is sometimes associated with French artist Louis Majorelle, who was born in Toul, France in 1859 and died in Nancy, France in 1926. Located in the country’s northeast region, Nancy is said to be one of the epicenters of the French art nouveau movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was also the home of the Ecole de Nancy (“School of Nancy”), which was a group of artists, architects, art critics and industrialists who as a loose association worked in the naturalistic, flowing lines of the movement.

Majorelle was a founding member of the group, and he was both a decorator and a furniture manufacturer. The piece in today’s question is reminiscent of his style. But unfortunately, it does not have his quality or attention to artistic detail.

This does not mean the piece is poorly made — it is not. It means it is a later, more commercial interpretation of Majorelle’s style. Tables with this type of art nouveau inlay and bronze fittings were made in a variety of styles — some much more intricate than others — and the quality can range from the highly artistic to the commercial. The table in today’s question falls more into the commercial end of the scale and its late date near 1930 is also a bit of a detriment to its monetary value.

Art nouveau Majorelle-inspired game tables can retail in the $5,000 to $6,000 plus range. But this one should be valued for the $1,200 to $1,800 range because of its later date and standard quality inlay.