1860s Desk Accessories

Wonderful burr walnut gentleman's dressing box or case Fabulous colour and figure in the wood Original patina. Not re-polished Almost complete interior Silver plated topped bottl...

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 .

Victorian Period, sterling silver and turquoise blue guilloche enamel letter opener/paper knife, Sheffield, England, year-hallmarked for 1866, R. Martin and E. Hall (doing business a...

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...

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...

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

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 ...

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

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...

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.

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

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

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...

Small gilt bronze compote, French, circa 1860.

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...

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 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...

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...

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 ...