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Highadjustable Architects Table - Table A Tronchin, France, Late 18th Century

$9,513.79List Price

About the Item

Architect's table - so-called Table à la Tronchin France Mahogany, leather Directoire around 1795 Dimensions: H x W x D: 77 x 89 x 53 cm, height adjustable from 77-114 cm, can be folded up to 146 cm Description: Architect's or draughtsman's table standing on tapered square legs with brass castors. So-called “Table à la Tronchin”. When folded, we see a desk with a leather-covered top and a wide drawer in the frame. The drawer has a further writing surface that can be pushed back. Underneath is a compartment for storing drawing paper. To the right is a sliding compartment for storing inkwells and grit. There is a leather-covered pull-out tray on each side, which was used to store writing utensils or a candle. Thanks to an ingenious system, the top can be set up at the back or raised at the front. Of particular interest are the two supports, which were previously recessed into the two front legs and only appear when the top is raised. The height of the work surface can be locked using two brass toothed strips. This makes the table suitable for both sitting and standing work. The numerous fine thread inlays, which are partly made of brass and partly of dark wood, are impressive and only noticeable on closer inspection. We see these inlays not only framing the top, but also on the corners of the frame, on the intermediate panel and even on the front sides of the elevating supports. Please take a look at the photo showing a section of the drawer front. Here we can see that the drawer front is not only framed by a solid brass profile, but also by two fine threads of brass and dark wood. An incredibly fine and perfectly crafted design. The photo also shows the brass surrounds on the edge of the panel, the underside of the frame and the top of the leg. These edgings are also rarely found on tables of this type. The austere and classic design goes well with the overall technical impression of the piece of furniture. Interesting facts: In the 18th century, there was an enthusiasm for furniture that concealed mechanisms and gear racks and that showed innovation in cabinetmaking, such as the desk offered here, the “Table à la Tronchin”. The Parisian cabinetmaker Louis Dufour (master craftsman 1764), who ran his workshop in the Rue Saint-Hyacinthe until the beginning of the Revolution, is considered the inventor of this table. He specialized in mechanical furniture and produced, among other things, armchairs for hospitals, chairs that could be converted into a bed and folding library ladders. On October 1, 1777, Dufour placed the following advertisement in Le Mercure de France: “Dufour, master cabinetmaker and mechanic, has invented a table that can be raised and lowered by turning a simple crank. The entire mechanism is hidden in the legs of the table so that there is also room for a drawer. This table is very comfortable for asthmatics who can almost only write standing up”. However, the type of furniture was not named after its inventor, but after the Geneva-born physician Théodore Tronchin (1709-1781), who at the time was researching bone diseases, which were often the result of architects adopting a poor posture at their desks. He recommended to his patients a table with a tilting and height-adjustable table top, depending on whether they wanted to work standing or sitting. Condition: Restored and polished with shellac. Old, punched leather. The system works perfectly. Please refer to the following specialist literature: Pierre Kjellberg - Le Mobilier Francais du XVIIIe Siècle pp. 189, 328, 840

Dimensions:
Height: 57.49 in (146 cm)Width: 35.04 in (89 cm)Depth: 20.87 in (53 cm)
Style:
Directoire (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Brass,Leather,Mahogany
Place of Origin:
France
Period:
Late 18th Century
Date of Manufacture:
1795
Condition:
Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use. Restored and polished with shellac. Old, punched leather. The system works perfectly.
Seller Location:
Greven, DE
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU5419243260372

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