Skip to main content
Video Loading
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 12

18th Century Dutch Burr Walnut Floral Marquetry Bureau

$10,098.70
£7,500
€8,844.12
CA$13,990.39
A$15,691.15
CHF 8,217.21
MX$190,662.81
NOK 104,344.85
SEK 98,926.27
DKK 66,016.74

About the Item

This is a wonderful antique late 18th century Dutch burr walnut and marquetry bombe' bureau. It has been accomplished in burr walnut, with exquisite hand cut floral marquetry typical of the very best pieces of period Dutch furniture. The serpentine fall opens to reveal a fabulous interior with a myriad of small drawers and several secret compartments, there is a small central mirror doored cupboard which is flanked by a pair of columns with secret compartments that slide out. There is a secret well that is accessed from the secretaire interior and there are three capacious full width drawers. The brass handles and escutcheons are original and in excellent condition and it is complete with the original working locks and keys. The front of the bureau is a wonderful double serpentine shape, it stands on it's original lion's paw feet and the drawer linings and back are of solid oak. It is circa 1780 in date, is in truly remarkable condition for its age and this exceptional piece represents a fantastic example of 18th century Dutch cabinetry at its very finest. Condition: In excellent condition having been beautifully restored in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 111 x Width 141 x Depth 65 Dimensions in inches: Height 3 feet, 8 inches x Width 4 feet, 7 inches x Depth 2 feet, 2 inches Burr Walnut refers to the swirling figure present in nearly all walnut when cut and polished, and especially in the wood taken from the base of the tree where it joins the roots. However the true burr is a rare growth on the tree where hundreds of tiny branches have started to grow. Burr walnut produces some of the most complex and beautiful figuring you can find. Marquetry is decorative artistry where pieces of material (such as wood, pewter or brass silver) of different colours are inserted into surface wood veneer to form intricate patterns such as scrolls or flowers. The technique of veneered marquetry had its inspiration in 16th century Florence. Marquetry elaborated upon Florentine techniques of inlaying solid marble slabs with designs formed of fitted marbles, jaspers and semi-precious stones. This work, called opere di commessi, has medieval parallels in Central Italian "Cosmati"-work of inlaid marble floors, altars and columns. The technique is known in English as Pietra Dura, for the "hardstones" used: onyx, jasper, cornelian, lapis lazuli and colored marbles. In Florence, the Chapel of the Medici at San Lorenzo is completely covered in a colored marble facing using this demanding jig-sawn technique. Techniques of wood marquetry were developed in Antwerp and other Flemish centers of luxury cabinet-making during the early 16th century. The Craft was imported full-blown to France after the mid-seventeenth century, to create furniture of unprecedented luxury being made at the royal manufactory of the Gobelins, charged with providing furnishings to decorate Versailles and the other royal residences of Louis XIV. Early masters of French marquetry were the Fleming Pierre Golle and his son-in-law, André-Charles Boulle, who founded a dynasty of royal and Parisian cabinet-makers (ébénistes) and gave his name to a technique of marquetry employing brass with pewter in arabesque or intricately foliate designs.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 43.71 in (111 cm)Width: 55.52 in (141 cm)Depth: 25.6 in (65 cm)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
    1780-1789
  • Date of Manufacture:
    circa 1780
  • Condition:
  • Seller Location:
    London, GB
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 076531stDibs: LU95067112473

More From This Seller

View All
18th Century Dutch Marquetry Walnut Cabinet on Chest
Located in London, GB
This is a superb antique Dutch marquetry walnut cabinet on chest, circa 1780 in date. It has been accomplished in walnut with exquisite hand-cut walnut, boxwood and fruitwood floral...
Category

Antique 1780s Dutch Commodes and Chests of Drawers

Materials

Walnut

Antique Walnut Dutch Marquetry Bureau Cabinet Bookcase 18th Century
Located in London, GB
This is an important antique Dutch walnut and marquetry bureau bookcase, circa 1780 in date. It has been made from the finest burr walnut w...
Category

Antique 1780s Dutch Bookcases

Materials

Walnut

Antique Dutch Marquetry Walnut Seven Drawer Chest Early 19th Century
Located in London, GB
This is a fabulous antique Dutch marquetry walnut chest of drawers, circa 1800 in date. It has been accomplished in walnut with exquisite handcut marquetry decoration of urns and co...
Category

Antique Early 1800s Dutch Commodes and Chests of Drawers

Materials

Walnut

Antique French Louis Revival Walnut Marquetry Commode 19th Century
Located in London, GB
This is a stunning antique French walnut and marquetry Louis Revival bombe commode, circa 1880 in date. This gorgeous commode features a stunning shaped Rouge Griote marble top ab...
Category

Antique 1880s Commodes and Chests of Drawers

Materials

Walnut

Antique French Louis Revival Marquetry Commode, 19th Century
Located in London, GB
This is a stunning antique walnut, marquetry and ormolu mounted Louis Revival serpentine fronted commode, circa 1880 in date. The chest has a gonzalo alves cross banded top with d...
Category

Antique 1880s French Commodes and Chests of Drawers

Materials

Ormolu

19th Century French Rococo Revival Marquetry Secretaire a Abattant
Located in London, GB
Dating from around 1850, this is a wonderful antique French Rococo Revival Secretaire a Abattant featuring ormolu mounted mahogany, gonzalo alves and marquetry. A Secretaire a abatt...
Category

Antique 1850s French Rococo Revival Secretaires

Materials

Marble, Ormolu

You May Also Like

Antique 18th century quality Dutch burr walnut floral marquetry bureau
Located in Ipswich, GB
Antique 18th century quality Dutch burr walnut floral marquetry bureau. 18th century Dutch marquetry bombe shaped bureau having a serpentine shaped fall opening to reveal a fantastic...
Category

Antique Early 18th Century Dutch Colonial Sideboards

Materials

Brass

Antique Quality Burr Walnut Floral Marquetry Inlaid Bombe Shaped Bureau
Located in Suffolk, GB
Antique 18th century quality burr walnut floral marquetry inlaid bombe shaped bureau having a fantastic quality large burr walnut floral marquetry inlaid bureau with a shaped fall op...
Category

Antique 18th Century English Desks

Materials

Walnut

Dutch Marquetry Burl Walnut Bombay Figural and Foliage Inlaid Desk, Circa 1850
Located in Charleston, SC
Dutch Marquetry burl walnut Bombay figural and foliage desk with exotic exterior inlays, fitted interior, three lower case drawers, original urn brasses, carved scalloped skirt, and ...
Category

Antique 1850s Dutch Dutch Colonial Desks

Materials

Brass

Antique Dutch Floral Marquetry Inlaid Bombé Bureau, 19th Century
Located in Glasgow, GB
A 19th century Dutch marquetry inlaid bombé bureau profusely decorated all-over with marquetry depictions of flowers, urns and birds. With a rectangular flap opening to reveal a stri...
Category

Antique 19th Century Dutch Dutch Colonial Desks

Materials

Brass

Outstanding Quality Antique Dutch Marquetry Inlaid Burr Walnut Bureau Bookcase
Located in Suffolk, GB
Outstanding quality 18th century antique Dutch marquetry inlaid burr walnut bureau bookcase having an outstanding quality Dutch marquetry inlaid burr walnut bureau bookcase with a be...
Category

Antique 18th Century Dutch Bookcases

Materials

Walnut

Antique 18th Century Quality Mahogany Floral Marquetry Inlaid Cylinder Bureau
Located in Suffolk, GB
Antique 18th century quality mahogany floral marquetry inlaid cylinder bureau having a fantastic quality mahogany floral marquetry inlaid cylinder bureau opening to reveal a fitted interior consisting of ten shaped drawers, bookends and a door opening to reveal a single drawer above three long bombe...
Category

Antique 18th Century English Desks

Materials

Other