Antique Refectory Table Chestnut Walnut Italy Late 1600s

Chestnut

It is a hard, yellow-white wood, mostly used for rustic furniture. Since the Middle Ages it has been used in Europe, mainly in Spain, France and Italy. Particularly resistant, it was sometimes used to manufacture the supporting structures of fine furniture. It tends to darken over time and has good resistance to woodworms.

Walnut

Walnut wood comes from the plant whose botanical name is juglans regia , probably originally from the East but very common in Europe. Light or dark brown in color, it is a hard wood with a beautiful grain, widely used in antique furniture. It was the main essence in Italy throughout the Renaissance and later had a good diffusion in Europe, especially in England, until the advent of mahogany. It was used for solid wood furniture and sometimes carvings and inlays, its only big limitation is that it suffers a lot from woodworm. In France it was widely used more than anything else in the provinces. In the second half of the eighteenth century its use decreased significantly because mahogany and other exotic woods were preferred.