Antique Edwardian Inlaid Folding Game/lamp Table Featuring “the Royal and Pleasant Game of Goose”

An exquisitely crafted antique Edwardian folding game/lamp table incorporating the traditional “Royal and Pleasant Game of Goose” — one of Europe’s earliest and most enduring board games. The rectangular top is finely veneered in figured mahogany with satinwood crossbanding opening on brass hinges to reveal a beautifully inlaid and engraved Game of the Goose board. The spiral track of sixty-three numbered squares is composed of contrasting wood veneers engraved with the game’s characteristic symbols: geese, the bridge, the maze, the ale house, the prison, the well, and death. Beneath the hinged top is a fitted interior compartment containing: Two sets of turned wooden playing pieces (natural and ebonised), A pair of antique dice, and A handwritten parchment scroll of rules titled “Rules to be observed when playing the Royal and Pleasant Game of Goose.” When closed, the surface displays an elegant marquetry motif centred by a circular floral medallion. The table stands on square tapering legs terminating in block feet. This piece combines fine English cabinetmaking with the charm of period parlour entertainment — making it both a functional table and a conversation piece of considerable historical interest.