Laguna Taracea Marquetry Tables

Q We inherited a table and we are having trouble finding the value. It was bought in Granada, Spain, in the early 1970s and shipped to the U.S. with a duty value of $1,500. The table is wood with geometric inlay and panels that look like Arabic characters. It has two sets of legs, a shorter set for use as a coffee table and a taller set allowing it to be used for dining or games. The 37 1/2-inch-top is octagonal. Your help identifying the table and value would be appreciated.

A Your table is decorated with marquetry. In Spanish it is taracea. The Moors were the first in Spain to cover surfaces of furniture with geometric patterns made of wood, bone, metal, and ivory. The Moors left a legacy of Hispano-Moorish art and design and Granada is still a center of cabinet work. Multi-sided table tops with star patterns surrounded by floral designs and geometric borders were common. Your table was made by Laguna Taracea in Granada. The company was established by ancestors of today’s owner, Miguel Laguna, in 1877. The characters on your table are Arabic for ”God is the greatest.” Tables similar to yours have sold for about $2,000.