1880s Secretaires

Victorian secretaire desk, in the Brighton Pavilion style. Having a frame of burnt bamboo, inset with lacquered panels hand-painted with birds and floral motifs. Its top panel hinged...

Scriban or secretary chest in the Louis XVI style from France. This piece is made of solid wood construction, primarily mahogany. It has been ebonized and finished with a lustrous Fr...

A very fine quality antique French Louis XV rosewood, marquetry, ormolu and marble topped secretaire abattant, circa 1880. The serpentine shaped secretary is modeled as a semainier (...

Arts and Crafts Pine Collectors Cabinet Filing Drawers The Cabinet is made in natural pine and has 12 Long Drawers, some of the drawers have the original dividers others are missing...

This beautiful Bonheur du Jour, litterally "Happiness of the day" desk is made of a Boulle marquetry. Tiered upper part, opening with two medallion doors and two small drawers. Lower...

A beautiful French 19th century hand-painted secretary desk, the patina is so much beautiful in person, it has a little repair on one side, see...

"Émile Gallé Game Table in Walnut and Marquetry of Veneered Wood with a Floral Thistle Motif (c. 1895). Émile Gallé’s game table is an exceptionally refined work of art, perfectly e...

A Japanese style carved wood cabinet, with a painted decor imitating Japanese lacquer, ornamented with flowers, birds and butterflies. Opening onto two drawers and a paper filer, the upright-secretary door is also fitted with red velvet. Surmounted by a drawer and asymmetrical shelves, composed in the Japanese « zen » spirit, the cabinet stands on four legs joined by an engraved stretcher. The great influence of the Far-East, through China and Japan, in the second half of the 19th century French art could be found first in painting and soon after in decorative arts and furniture as well. Following the Franco-English military campaign led in 1860 against the Imperial army in China, the French troops of Napoleon III brought back from the Summer Palace, a part of the Chinese Imperial court treasure, which will make up the famous Chinese Museum of Empress Eugénie at the Fontainebleau Palace. The French artists won’t be long to take inspiration from those exotic and sumptuous objects for their creations, as they used to do in the 18th century, when the best French cabinet-makers adapted the Chinese lacquers on the luxurious royal chests. But the influence of Japan, at the Meiji period (1868-1912), came also very quickly to France, thanks to the opening of the country in the middle of the 19th century, as well as the development of traveling and the amazing Universal Exhibitions, in which Japan participated for the first time in 1867 in Paris. Then many Japanese objects and prints were imported to France and to all Europe, and for which some collectors spent already fortunes. With Manet and Impressionists generation, the passion for Japanese art, more than a simple taste for an exotic style, was still in fashion until the turn of the 19th century. It provoked not only a craze among the French aristocratic families as well as the wealthy Paris high society, wishing renew their mansion inner decoration, but turned also to a real revolutionary movement among the “avant-garde” artists. Those artists, whoever they were, painters, cabinet-makers or designers of ceramic, bronze and crystal objects, adapted then those techniques and naturalistic motifs unknown until this time. Christofle, very famous since 1867 as a silversmith, was also one of the leaders among the inventors of Japanism. He knew how to use Japanese elements to his own splendid works made in silver or “cloisonné” enameled bronze. During the 1878 Paris Universal Exhibition, Christofle presented with great success his life-sized bronze Japanese ladies torcheres, executed by the renowned sculptor Guillemin. Another famous company to be mentioned, is “L’Escalier de Cristal”, producing art objects and furniture, all of high standard quality and innovating much with their Japanese decor. Highly remarked during the Universal Exhibitions, “L’Escalier de Cristal” collaborated with the greatest artists, such Gallé and Rousseau for glass- and ceramic wares, and the cabinet-makers Lièvre and Viardot, whom made furniture including sometimes authentic Japanese elements. In 1872, Alfred Perret and Ernest Vibert opened in Paris, at 33 rue du Quatre-Septembre a store that offered “natural bamboo furniture and cane seats” and all kinds of textile fittings for furniture. This furniture used for winter gardens and terraces of mansions knew then a resounding success. They developed their business around 1884 with their Japanese style furniture, very close to that executed by Gabriel Viardot (1830-1906). In 1886, the company appearing in the category of “Chinoiserie and Japoneries” offered, in addition to furniture and seating creation, works of art and inlaid furniture directly imported from the Far East ; an activity that expanded rapidly. Their exotic fantasy furniture presented at the Universal Exhibition of Paris in 1889 and 1900, rewarded them two silver medals. In 1894, the company was listed under the name “Perret et Vibert”, headed by the son of Alfred Perret and Ernest Vibert. The same year, they redesigned their store on rue du Quatre-Septembre, creating ten new show-rooms, showing complete furniture sets of Japanese and Chinese style inspiration. It was not until 1895, that the company was finally named “La Maison des Bambous” and organized then in their shops an “exhibition of country furniture and seats for castles and villas”, which was visited by Empress Eugenie to furnish her villa Cyrnos at Cap Martin. She actually was a regular customer of the “Maison des Bambous” as she bought repeatedly furniture. In October of the same year, the king of Greece...

An antique secretary from the end of the 19th century (circa 1880s) Produced in Scandinavia, in mahogany wood. Furniture in preserved in very good ...

We are delighted to this stunning circa 1880 light mahogany library bookcase with secrétaire desk A well made and collectable library bookcase. The top s...

A very fine Louis XVI style upright secretary, executed in veneered wood, finely decorated with painted medallions representing mythological scenes. Fine chiseled and gilded bronze m...

This is a superb, extremely ornate and intricately designed Napoleonic style writing desk with bookcase top. The desk is crafted of burled walnut, bronze and porcelain Sevres style f...

A antique desk cabinet for storing letters and cards. Made of wood veneer with foliage wood inlay. Made in France, circa 1870-1880 Note: one of th...

This beautiful piece of furniture is the Top Portion Only of a 19thc French Napoleon III Boulle Inlaid "Bonheur Du Jour". This piece has been dated to the last portion of the 19thc b...

Lamb of Manchester. An Aesthetic Movement walnut and leather writing desk with a bank of four graduating drawers to the left and a large upper drawer to the right with turned and flu...

We are delighted to offer for sale this very fine, highly collectable solid oak with over sized brass fittings Military Campaign chest of drawers with mahogany lined & brown leather ...