This is a French country cherry wood tilt-top table. It has been identified as a Wine Tasting Table that was made around 1880. My wife Daniele and I bought it in Dijon, the capital of Burgundy. I believe this circular table was used at special wine tasting events hosted by vineyards of the region to display and sample their cellar’s products.
It was kept in the tilt up position between events. The cherry wood probably came from the adjacent southerly province of Rhone, which is a major cherry growing region. Internet ads show a few similar tables that sell for around $2000.
(Editor’s note: Palisades resident Howard Yonet has an interesting collection of curios from around the world and with his permission, Circling the News is publishing one a week. About the collector: Dr. Howard Yonet was born in Brooklyn in 1934 and attended Brooklyn College. He went to Baylor Medical School and then returned to do an internship at Bellevue Hospital. Yonet completed his residency at the Manhattan V.A. and the Montefiore Hospital. During this time he went skiing in Vermont and the Catskills, and while traveling found barns filled with early American pieces. This led to his interest in American Antiques.
In 1965, he married Daniele, who was originally from Nancy, France. During the Vietnam War, Yonet was drafted as a medical officer and stationed in Landstuhl, Germany (1966-1969). This was close to the French border, which meant he and Daniele and could visit her family.
While abroad, the Yonets took weekend trips through France and Italy, purchasing many interesting pieces at flea markets.
The family settled in Pacific Palisades in 1970 and Yonet practiced general radiology until 2006. He continued to acquire antiques and collectables at estate and garage sales and the Salvation Army Store. He also enjoyed looking for collectibles while traveling in Montana, Idaho, Colorado and Massachusetts. Daniele’s family helped add to his collection.)
LOVELY…I like the blue vase (in the background) also.