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Renaissance-Revival Desk in Black Umber with Trestle Base, Grand Rapids

About the Item

A Renaissance-revival desk or sofa table in walnut with dark, ebonized umber finish & featuring beautiful carvings that include decorative moldings, linen fold panels & acanthus foliage along the apron & drawers, as well as applied papier-mâché rosettes & cartouches. Desk rests on a trestle base with a stretcher & offers three drawers. Grand Rapids, MI, circa 1920. There are two labels that read: "Imperial Grand Rapids, Michigan" and "Klingman's Sample Furniture Company". Note: Table was restored & refinished in our workshop with ebonized umber finish with leed certified organic oil sealer. Measurements: 72 1/2” long x 28" wide x 30 1/4” high Grand Rapids became an important center for furniture craftsman during the late 19th century, following the attention these craftsman received at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876. The success in Philadelphia led Grand Rapids furniture makers to stage their own furniture mart in 1878. With a strong logging industry that provided a ready lumber supply that included oak, maple, basswood, walnut, ash, beech and pine and Lake Michigan facilitating transport, Grand Rapids was well-positioned to fill the role as a major furniture manufacturing & distribution center. It was the early vision of a young entrepreneur from Ohio, Phillip Klingman, to establish in Grand Rapids a center where manufacturers from many states could display their wares & attract smaller as well as larger dealers. "Mr. Klingman rented two floors of the Blodgett Building in 1889 to show the furniture lines he represented. The Blodgett Building was built as a multi-occupancy building which gradually filled up with furniture lines and was recognized as the Pioneer furniture exhibition building in the country. Later, in partnership with Charles P. Limbert, the Klingman & Limbert Chair Co., leased the entire building. In 1896 Mr. Klingman founded the Klingman Sample Furniture Company which would sell samples purchased at the close of markets to the public at discounted prices. He then interested the Daniel H. Waters Estate in erecting a six-story building on Ottawa Ave. to house these samples and for many years it was the largest display building in America. Mr. Klingman’s business was such a success that another four-story building, the Klingman Building, was erected to house additional furniture lines. Mr. Phillip J. Klingman passed in 1913 at the age of 50, but lived to see his vision of a national furniture market in Grand Rapids come true.".
  • Creator:
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 30.25 in (76.84 cm)Width: 72.5 in (184.15 cm)Depth: 28 in (71.12 cm)
  • Style:
    Renaissance Revival (In the Style Of)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Mahogany,Appliqué,Carved,Oiled
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    circa 1920
  • Condition:
    Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use. Desk is structurally sound and drawers open smoothly. Fabricated in solid mahogany, finish is a facsimile of the original ebonized finish but with a contemporary bent. Ebonized umber finish with leed certified organic oil sealer.
  • Seller Location:
    Miami, FL
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: TBL003461stDibs: LU988115633902

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