French Marquetry Ladies Writing Desk Vanity With Stool

Stunning antique heavily carved mahogany desk/writing table from the late 19th century. Note the detail and carvings throughout. All hand carved and features a sliding writing servic...

Discover opulence in every detail with this magnificent 19th century burr walnut marquetry French Bombe style credenza/sideboard. Immerse yourself in the timeless allure of burr wal...

Exquisite tall 19th century French Empire mahogany secretaire abattant which features elegant patterns, created by the rich mahogany ...

Stunning pair of Chinese blue and white porcelain garden stools with intricate hand painted motif of dragons, fish and flowers. Pierced detail at top...

Iconic, vintage Herman Miller rare out of print fabric adorns this gorgeous French Louis XVI fruitwood arm chair. The juxtaposition is nothing short of riveting and this chair will i...

Stunning and ultra rare Russell Woodard spun fiberglass stools, a set of four matching. Now, more than ever, home is where the heart is.

French marquetry ladies slant top three-drawer writing desk with floral motif inlay, flanking step back interior drawers, leather writing surface, carved scalloped skirt, original or...

This is a beautifully done shallow depth French Louis XV style American made ladies vanity or writing desk. The piece can be used as a desk because the...

Antique French Louis XV / Rococo style hand-carved and distressed dressing table / ladies writing desk. Item features a shaped turtle top with diamond sunburst veneer, single hand do...

The Following Item we are offering is a An Exceptional Museum Quality French Country Ladies Vanity Writing Desk with 5 Drawers. Circa 1920's. The Rounded Rectangular Top with an Ormo...

Writing table, walnut, The Netherlands, 1940s An elegant furniture piece that attests to masterful craftsmanship. Its marquetry top, adorned with a captivating array of various wood...

A magnificent and very rare Régence style marquetry inlaid grand bureau plat or writing desk. Inscribed to the carcass 'Moreaux 72'. Dating from the second half of the nineteenth century this magnificent and very rare bureau plat has finely cast rocaille gilt-bronze mounts and is decorated overall with truly breath-taking seventeenth century marquetry, depicting fantastical townscapes, knights, soldiers, hunting and architectural-scenes. Of serpentine rectangular form the top is veneered with superb marquetry panels within a foliate scrolled border and a rocaille shell-cast gilt-bronze surround, both sides featuring a recessed central drawer flanked on each side by a drawer applied with male and female terms, scrolled handles, and reserves with conforming drawers; the bombé sides are centred by foliate scrolls, and the whole raised on cabriole legs headed by cartouches with foliate entwined chutes terminating in scrolled sabots. Of impressive scale this fine bureau plat, in the manner of a partners desk, features working drawers to each side. This model of bureau plat was made by a small number of celebrated Parisian cabinet makers in the second half of the 19th century including Beurdeley, Cremer and Befort Jeune. It is incredibly rare to see this model of bureau plat inlaid in marquetry. The exceptional quality and style indicate the use of older reused marquetry, almost certainly dating from the late 17th century and originating from the Augsburg region of Germany. Similar models but lacking the exceptional marquetry inlay can be found in the collection of the Duke of Buccleuch at Bowhill, and the Earl of Normanton at Somerlely. Christopher Payne notes that the latter was part of a pair sold by the London dealer Toms & Luscombe in 1871. He illustrates the present bureau plat in his book ‘European Furniture of the 19th Century’ (p. 88-89), along with two related desks minus the marquetry inlay (p. 92 -93). The exceptional and highly complex marquetry inlay and intarsia work, that sets this important bureau plat apart from other extant examples, would originally have formed the decorative panels of a late 17th century table cabinet, almost certainly ascribable to the Augsburg region of Germany. Augsburg emerged from the middle of the 16th century as the German centre of luxury cabinet making for the international market. In particular, the development of marquetry contributed to this prominent position, favoured by the ready availability of indigenous woods and the reputation that Augsburg had the best craftsmen able to cut thin layers of veneers in the most intricate motifs (C.S. Wood, ‘The Perspective Treatise in Ruins: Lorenz Stöer, Geometria et perspectiva, 1567’, Studies in the History of Art, no. 59, p. 246). Table cabinets, conceived as a form of Wunderkammer or cabinets of curiosities, were intended as repositories for all manner of wondrous and exotic objects and by the 1550s the grandest cabinets in Europe were being made in Augsburg. Decorated almost entirely with sumptuous marquetry, often depicting perspective views of ruins and fantastical townscapes, they become by the 1590s highly regarded as important diplomatic gifts. Fine Augsburg marquetry panels remained popular throughout the ages and were frequently re-used to create or embellish new items of furniture, such as this magnificent bureau plat. Their inclusion was not only for their highly decorative appeal, but to contemporary eyes, a means by which to imbue a new creation with a sense of true historical authenticity. The importance of such panels is often reflected in the high cost involved in repurposing them. A fine example of this is the celebrated 17th century cabinet on stand...