Napoleon III Kingwood Bookcase of Small Proportions

A Napoleon III kingwood freestanding open bookcase, of oval form with four angled, fluted pilasters, the top and three shelves covered with tooled green leather, applied with moulded...

A pair of Napoleon III kingwood freestanding open bookcases, each of oval form with four angled, fluted pilasters, the top and three shelves covered with tooled black leather, applie...

A pair of small Napoleon III kingwood display cabinets on stands, each of rectangular form with a single glazed cupboard set on a base with two disguised frieze drawers flanking a la...

A Regency birds eye maple open bookcase, of rectangular form with a shaped top surmounted by the original brass gallery, above two adjustable shelves and two mirror-fronted cupboards...

A fine early William IV mahogany breakfront bookcase firmly attributed Gillows of Lancaster, in four sections, the top with astragal glazed doors enclosing four adjustable shelves between reeded pilasters with anthemion scroll corbels, the base with four panelled arched doors between acanthus scroll and reeded pilasters, the frieze with two short drawers and a central secretaire drawer fitted with a reading slope and two slides above small compartments, decorated throughout with rich book-matched veneers. The secretaire drawer stamped ‘Preston’. English, circa 1835. Footnote: Many closely related acanthus carved terminals, anthemion corbels and other typical Gillows features can be seen on the pair of bookcases, on this website, made by Gillows & Co for the library at Dallam Tower, Cumbria in 1829, and on a bookcase shown in Susan E. Stuart, Gillows of Lancaster and London 1730-1840, Antique Collectors’ Club, 2008, vol. I, p.379, pl.450. A similar large breakfront bookcase...

A pair of Napoleon III satinwood side tables or bedside tables, each of rectangular form with a marble top (repaired) surrounded by a brass pierced gallery, all above a single frieze...

Fabulous quality late 19th century small open bookcase from the Napoleon III period circa 1870’s Veneered with kingwood , original marble top and ormolu mounts H: 99 cm (39") W: 80 c...

An antique French tambour door bookcase, made of solid mahogany wood. It's made in France, at the the end of the Napoleon III period, 1860-1870. ...

The best word I can think of to describe our newest find is; Presence. This absolutely incredibly elegant Très grande bibliotheque from Nîmes, France, simply makes the room, with its undeniable presence. Whether it’s the mammoth scale of the bookcase, or the combination of the ebonized walnut and the indescribable painted interior colour (we’re still searching for a name), something just clicked and made our antique bookcase quite special. Finding a genuine antique French bookcase, that measures roughly twelve and a half feet in length, that was not assembled from a bunch of old wood bits sitting around a guy’s workshop, is a rare occurrence. In our over 30-years of importing from Europe, we might have had two or three that were genuine. This huge antique French bookcase was fabricated from French solid walnut and certainly dates from the 1800’s. Look carefully at the wavy hand-made glass and that pretty much tells the whole story, for we are unaware that anyone produces new glass this good. Generally, when you find a bookcase, or display cabinet of this stature, you’ll discover that its history was probably from a public institution, be it a school, library, or even a high-end department store, but generally they are deathly tired. Fortunately, that was not the case with this antique French bookcase. Our antique bibliotheque was discovered in the town of Nîmes, a city in the Occitanie region of southern France. Little history; Nîmes was an important part of the Roman Empire and the city is most famous for the Arena of Nîmes, a double-tiered circa-70 A.D. amphitheater still in use today. Also, the famous Pont du Gard...

Circa 1850-60 Handsomely designed solid Mahogany Cabinet with Brass Inlay and surround. Beautiful patina, details and finesse abound this mag...

This spectacular antique hunt cabinet was crafted in northern France circa 1870. The large bookcase built in two sections, stands on a molded base...

A George III style mahogany breakfront bookcase, the upper sections with a molded cornice above a fluted frieze ornamented with de...