Original Charlotte Horstmann Hong Kong Military Campaign Chest of Drawers Desk

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Original Charlotte Horstmann Hong Kong Military Campaign Chest of Drawers Desk

About the Item

We are delighted to offer for sale this very rare and highly collectable Charlotte Horstmann of Hong Kong mahogany Military campaign chest of drawers / secretaire desk with huge oversize brass handles A very rare and highly collectable piece from the wonder that is Charlotte Horstmann, Campaign furniture has been highly coveted for over 140 years, this is a rather special piece due to its history, it has the original Charlotte Horstmann stamp inside the drawer. This piece is as mentioned a Secretaire desk which is hidden inside the top drawer We have cleaned waxed and polished it from top to bottom, there will be a good patination from years of honest use and genuine age to include some sunlight discolouration Dimensions Height 102.5cm Width 91.5cm Depth 45cm Please note all measurements are taken at the widest point History Charlotte Horstmann's Hong Kong antiques establishment is the sort of treasure-filled shop one reads about in novels but encounters rarely. Situated in the Ocean Terminal, two minutes from the ferry terminal on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong Harbour, it is a crowded two-level emporium arranged with great flair; at every turn there is something wonderful to touch. The walls are covered with reverse glass paintings, Chinese scrolls, period embroideries, No masks and framed fragments of vintage wallpapers. Late-medieval Ming vases in dazzling colours share shelf space with 11th-century Sung jugs, awesome in their simplicity. Table tops are covered with curious and superbly crafted items. A gilded Japanese bronze stirrup lies next to an Anglo-Indian rosewood lap desk; a Khmer bronze stands beside a low Japanese table. The art and antiques on view emanate originally from India, Thailand, Burma, Indonesia, China, Japan and Korea. They date from the 10th century to the late 20th and re-present an extraordinary mix of materials -jade, amber, porcelain, silver, glass, lacquer, bronze, wood, silk and bamboo. In 27 years the partner/proprietors - the shop is now known as Charlotte Horstmann and Gerald Godfrey, Ltd. - have built a business that is regarded internationally as singular for the broad range of Oriental offerings and the rarities that can be found there. Although many objects are purchased in their travels throughout the Far East, many wares are brought back from their frequent visits to New York, London and Paris. Charlotte Horstmann is, not surprisingly, something of a legend - especially to the museum curators, collectors, designers, department store buyers and tourists who have found in the shop's softly lighted interior some example of Orientalia to satisfy their taste without destroying their bank balance. She was born in Berlin and taken as an infant to Peking, where she was raised. ''At 14 I began collecting Sung dynasty pottery,'' she said recently. Her knowledge of period wares was broadened substantially and deepened in the 1920's and 1930's when for 17 years she worked as an interpreter and met among others such art collectors and museum people as John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Lawrence Sickman, who is now director emeritus of a Kansas City museum called the William Rockhill Nelson Gallery and Atkins Museum of Fine Art. She became an antiques dealer in Peking and in 1950 moved to Bangkok, taking her collection of Ming furniture with her. The Ming furniture moved again to Hong Kong in 1955 when she opened a small shop on Ice House Road on Hong Kong Island. More recently eight pieces of her Ming antiques were purchased by the Kansas City museum, the repository of what is probably the finest such collection in this country. A tiny, charming woman with silver hair framing a face that reveals both her German and Chinese ancestry, Mrs. Horstmann retains at 73 a dynamism that awes those half her age. ''I keep busy. I am interested in so many things,'' she said. This item is available for collection from our Pulborough warehouses Condition Please view the very detailed pictures as they form part of the description pertaining to the condition. Please also ask any questions before you bid and not after, all of our items are sold as seen and as listed. Please note vintage period and original items such as leather seating will always have natural patina in the form of creasing and wear, we recommend annual waxing to ensure no moisture is lost, also hand dyed leather is not recommended to sit in direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time as it will dry out and fade.

Creator:
Charlotte Horstmann (Retailer)
Dimensions:
Height: 40.36 in (102.5 cm)Width: 36.03 in (91.5 cm)Depth: 17.72 in (45 cm)
Style:
Campaign (In the Style Of)
Materials and Techniques:
Brass,Wood,Hand-Crafted
Place of Origin:
Hong Kong
Period:
Early 20th Century
Date of Manufacture:
Early 20th Century
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Minor fading.
Seller Location:
GB
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU2823324059692