1860s Desk Accessories

A very rare & important antique Russian Imperial silver gilt & Mother-Of-Pearl letter opener, which belonged to Czar Nicholas II and was taken from the Winter Palace during the 1917 ...

Aesthetic Movement, sterling silver calling card/business card case in original, velvet lined leather box, London, year-hallmarked for 1860, George ...

Wonderful burr walnut writing box or slope Fabulous colour and figure in the wood Good condition Working secret drawers* Replaced leather With a key Free UK shipping *The draw...

A refined antique inkwell, with two inkwells made of bronze, including glass cups. The base is made of veneered marquetry wood with a diamond pattern, framed in a bronze rim, resting...

An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Victorian English sterling silver posy holder; an addition to our ornamental silverware collection. T...

A stunning French ormolu mounted Empire style marble desk stand dating from the 19th century. This stylish stand is of rectangular shape with rounded polished ends and is made from a...

Land-surveyor squaring, measuring instrument made of brass, Italian manufacture, from the second half of the 19th century, complete with original walnut box. It is a topographic inst...

A very large Georgian or Victorian mahogany gallery or magnifying glass. The circular glass within a mahogany frame, the baluster handle screwing into a brass bracket in the rim. Eng...

A second half of the 19th century Scandinavian vanity mirror for kids. This Little hand painted in "Faux bois" technique mirror has a little...

The lacquer ground with a strong burgundy undertone. Well carved , colored and other wise decorated . The porcelain well in good Antique condition . Minor wear due to age and use .

Signed Diehl à Paris. Wood and silvered copper inkwell. Central drawer ornamented with an escutcheon and flanked by two small lateral drawers forming two containers, surmounted by a lid representing a nestling. Central niche ornamented with a winged creature. Inkwell flanked by two felines. Toped by a penholder representing a Moorish head resting on an eagle claw. This exceptional piece was realized thanks to the collaboration of ornemanist J. Brandely, sculptor E. Frémiet and cabinet-maker C.-G. Diehl. The motif of the fantasy creature dear to Diehl, is to be seen on the famous cabinet made by him in 1867 and now exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (Inv. 1989.197). Arriving in Paris in about 1840 Charles-Guillaume Diehl (1811-1885) founded his cabinet making and decoration firm at 19 rue Michel-le-Comte in 1885. His workshops produced elegant little pieces of furniture in rosewood and thuja and novelties with bronze and porcelain embellishments (see “Les ébénistes du XIXème siècle”, D. Ledoux-Lebard, Ed. de l’amateur, 1982, p.164). It was his luxury boxes, however (liqueur cellarettes, cigar cabinets, games boxes, cashmere cases, jewelry cases) which assured Diehl’s renown (see “l’Art en France sous le Second Empire”, Exposition Grand-Palais, Paris, 1979, p.133). Already rewarded with a bronze medal at the Universal Exhibition of 1855 in Paris, he exhibited a jardinière with china columns and a liqueur cabinet at the Industrial Arts Exhibition in 1861. In collaboration with the designer Jean Brandely (active from 1867 until 1873), Diehl renovated his decorative repertory and created astonishing pieces of furniture in the Grecian style which had a dazzling success at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1867, where his cabinets also won a silver medal. Certain motifs were so typical of Diehl’s work that they received extensive commentary by the art critic J. Mesnard in his book “Les Merveilles de l’Exposition Universal de 1867” (vol. II, pp. 133 & 149). He writes of a table of which “the pendant bearing hooks and the fan shaped radiating motif which ornaments the entablature are engraved with love” (p. 133) and a jewelry case where “The head in fine Grecian style makes up the essential part of the fine gilt bronze ornamentation” (p. 149). For this Universal Exhibition Diehl also formed a partnership with two famous sculptors: Emile Guillemin (1841-1907) who carved the relief for a mahogany sideboard with galvanic gilt bronzes (Orsay Museum, Paris, Inv. O.A.O. 992) and Emmanuel Frémiet (1824-1910) who executed the low relief for a cedar medal cabinet...

A couple of cast table bells in the shape of fashionable ladies. The little one showcases a Crinoline dress. They were both made in England during the ...

A gorgeous and very unusual 19th century French dore bronze mounted Sevres white porcelain three-piece clock and three-light candelabra garniture set. The Lyre shaped clock and cande...

This is a wonderful and highly decorative antique Victorian ormolu mounted coromandel four piece desk set by the renowned London maker of luxury items, Betjemann & Sons, cira 1860 in...

Very rare English travel writing desk/secretary chest around 1860 Solid mahogany lidded box that can be converted into a travel writing desk/travel secretary with a green leather to...

Circa 1860 inlaid burl wood lap desk writing box, English. Extravagantly inlaid with silver, abalone & mother of pearl on ebony ground for the strapping, edges & central cartouche. S...

XIX Century child wax bust. Curious bust in wax representing a child of the xix century on wooden base total measurements: 22 cm height only the bust 16 cm.

This wonderfully detailed bronze inkstand is of unusably small proportions and was made to compliment a lady's writing table most likely. It is of an oval form with a moulded base which is mounted with a detailed bronze study of a rural scene of a young man harvesting corn with a sickle. The bushels of corn hide the inkpot which hinges back to reveal a white porcelain container...

A Verona red marble remarkable inkwell, pure Empire style representing a gilded bronze of the bust of Antinous as Dioniso. Empire style, Generous size, excellent state of preservatio...

Wonderful to find a top-notch, highly decorative and most unusual desk set, French in origin dating to around 1860. Made from nutty coloured burl Walnut, all three pieces are mounted with the most wonderful polished brass mounts all inset with fabulous hand painted porcelain plaques. Our restorer had to remove all the mounts to professionally clean and on doing so found the name of the figure depicted on the plaques, "Ninon De Lenclos" a French Author, Courtesan, Freethinker and Patron of the Arts. The set is made up of a Stationery box with brass swing handles each side; the box complete with a working tasselled key. The box opens to reveal the wonderful original gilded leather lining with the original paper lining the sides of the dividers. The lock and hinges are beautifully engraved, a true sign of quality. The next piece is a hefty large oval Walnut Inkstand with a large glass inkwell...

This unique and captivating 19th-century writing desk set combines function with artistic beauty. Crafted from ebonized wood, this remarkable piece is designed as the head of an Afri...

Small gilt bronze compote, French, circa 1860.

We are delighted to offer for sale this stunning recumbent Lion carved statue on plinth base A very good looking well made and decorative piece, its hand carved from one piece on ...

Fine French Cartonnier, 19th century, attributed to Paul Sormani Paris, circa 1865, bois de Violette, satine quarter-veneer and six gilt-tooled brow...

A good Italian Grand Tour model of a Neopolitan fisherman at his work. In ormolu and patinated bronze the oval base is naturalistically decorated with rocks and seaweed which the fis...

A quite stunning French cut crystal inkwell of substantial size, with extremely elegantly worked neoclassical mounts, intricate scrolling filigree and very finely detailed sphinx's a...

Heading : Tunbridge ware leather hinged antique document holder Date : c1860 Period : Victoria Origin : Tunbridge Wells, Kent Decoration : Pers...

An english wood Writing Desk inlaid with abalone and mother of pearl. The lock is signed by maker in London, England. Circa 1860.