furniture with history

I got this wonderful oak gateleg table from a very nice lady called Kate yesterday...I was very excited because I had been looking for a nice gateleg for sometime and wanted to paint it but now after hearing about the history of it I am going to keep it just as it is.

I mentioned in a previous post that I love old furniture especially those with tales....well this has a wonderful story, orginally bought in Europe this table found itself in a chic apartment in Queens NY, belonging to the Jewish parents-in-law of the kind lady who gave it to me, it was brought back to the UK....spent its time in various locations ending up now here in Clapham to add a chapter to its story. So how on earth can I paint it....it will stay as it is, beautifully traditional and everytime I give it a give dust I shall think about all that it has seen.