Antique French Kingwood Marquetry Bureau de Dame, 19th Century

View Similar Items

19th Century French Rosewood Bureau De Dame

A Very Fine 19th Century Marquetry Inlaid Bureau Du Dame

English Marquetry Inlaid Bureau De Dame

Ladies Desk, Secretaire En Pente, Bureau De Dames, France, 19th Century

19th Century French Kingwood Writing Desk Bureau Plat

Antique French Gonçalo Alves Marquetry Bureau De Dame 19th C

19th Century French Ormolu-Mounted Marquetry Bureau Plat

Fine C19TH French Kingwood & Marquetry Bureau Plat /Writing Table

A French 19th century Louis XV st. Kingwood and Ormolu Bureau Plat

French Kingwood Bureau Plat, 19th Century, Regence-Style with Leather Top

Vintage French Provincial Petit-Bureau de Dame

Antique French Empire Revival Cylinder Bureau, 19th Century

Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 21

Antique French Kingwood Marquetry Bureau de Dame, 19th Century

About the Item

This is an elegant antique French Louis Revival ormolu-mounted bureau de dame with a beautiful fitted interior, dating from circa 1860. This magnificent piece is of the finest kingwood and walnut, it features profuse marquetry decoration and stunning ormolu mounts. The fall front opens to reveal three small drawers, a hidden well inside for ample storage space and a gold tooled green leather inset writing surface. Add a touch of unparalleled style to your home. Condition: In excellent condition, please see photos for confirmation of condition. Dimensions in cm: Height 88 x width 76 x depth 49 Dimensions in inches: Height 34.6 x width 29.9 x depth 19.3 Kingwood is a classic furniture wood, almost exclusively used for inlays on very fine furniture. Occasionally it is used in the solid for small items and turned work, including parts of billiard cues, e.g., those made by John Parris. It is brownish-purple with many fine darker stripes and occasional irregular swirls. Occasionally it contains pale streaks of a similar colour to sapwood. The wood is very dense and hard and can be brought to a spectacular finish. it turns well but due to its density and hardness can be difficult to work with hand tools. It also has a tendency to blunt the tools due to its abrasive properties. Marquetry is decorative artistry where pieces of material (such as wood, mother of pearl, pewter, brass silver or shell) 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 shell and brass with pewter in arabesque or intricately foliate designs.

Dimensions:
Height: 34.65 in (88 cm)Width: 29.93 in (76 cm)Depth: 19.3 in (49 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Kingwood,Leather,Ormolu,Walnut,Marquetry
Place of Origin:
France
Period:
1860-1869
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1860
Condition:
Seller Location:
London, GB
Reference Number:
Seller: R00491stDibs: LU950612849882