Can the original poster please tell us more about what the piece is?  A table
was mentioned... what size?  Dinner table type or occasional table?  How THICK
is the wood of the top?  .....  Is this a 4 legged table or a pedestal style?
Maybe a pix of the piece, complete, would answer these questions.....

When you strip off the finish, take a small area ( top or bottom works as well
as the other) and properly sand it and put on some BLO or something similar
(Shellac is OK too, but the various colors of Shellac will not help as much....
BLO looks like BLO....it varies little) to give us an idea of what this looked
like when it was originally made..... The oxidation of 100 years will then not
be present.....

What is the "clear" finish currently on the item?  It is possible to be shellac,
varnish, BLO, or.... Lacquer..... Lacquer  was jut becoming in style, and would
help dating it....  Use different solvents to establish.....

Italian furniture for the middle class in the 20's to 40's was pretty ornate...
and mostly made from Walnut.  Think lots of rounded surfaces and lots of
moulding work in the structure....  Also used during the period was a lot of
tables made with a top of marble.  ( My grandparents on both sides had this
stuff all over the house.... )

BTW The European walnut is/was BROWN toned, not BLACK toned as American Walnut
is......  The sanding and refinished sample will tell us much more.

Frank Filippone

BMWRed735i@G...