![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Oval_Drop-Leaf_Dining_Table_with_Ball-and_Claw_Feet_LACMA_M.2006.51.9.jpg/300px-Oval_Drop-Leaf_Dining_Table_with_Ball-and_Claw_Feet_LACMA_M.2006.51.9.jpg)
A drop-leaf table is a table that has a fixed section in the center and a hinged section (leaf) on either side that can be folded down (dropped). If the leaf is supported by a bracket when folded up, the table is simply a drop-leaf table; if the leaf is supported by legs that swing out from the center, it is known as a gateleg table. Depending on the style of drop-leaf or gateleg tables, the leaves vary from coming almost down to the floor to only coming down slightly.
The usual purpose of a drop-leaf table is to save space when the table is not in use. Typical examples of drop-leaf tables are: dining tables, night stands, side tables, coffee tables, and desks. Drop-leaf tables were found mostly in England where they date back to the late sixteenth century; Elizabethan era and Jacobean era examples are still extant.[1]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Elizabethan Antique Refectory Drop Leaf Tables". www.furniturestyles.net. Archived from the original on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2007-07-08.