MIXING TABLE

Though referred to generically in the eighteenth century as "slab tables," square marble top tables probably saw use as mixing tables for punch and other drinks.  Marble provided an ideal surface for mixing and serving drinks, being both cool to the touch and water resistant.  With its overbuilt frame, this table was intended for a marble top.  It is unclear whether the marble failed to arrive or was broken shortly after it was made.  The replaced top dates to the eighteenth century and may have been made by the same cabinetmaker responsible for the table's initial construction.