Antique Biedermeier bureau / secretary

Dimensions: H x W x D: 98 x 116 x 57 cm

Description:
Three-drawer piece of furniture with a typical Franconian appearance, standing on curved square legs.

The two lower drawers are flanked by solid, slightly bulging full columns that support the protruding section of the upper drawer. Particularly interesting and rarely found in this form are the bases and capitals, which, designed with lyres and arrows, correspond in a special way to the taste of the educated bourgeoisie, who in the first half of the 19th century were intensively occupied with the myths of Greek and Roman antiquity. As attributes of Cupid and Apollo, the arrow and lyre symbolise love and the finer things in life.

The black of the columns - as well as the ebonised skirting board, the key plates and the edge of the panel - contrasts beautifully with the warm shade of the walnut. The veneer running across the entire front is laid in a perfectly symmetrical manner, starting with a calm gradient from the bottom and becoming more exciting towards the top, right up to a wild yet harmonious grain pattern on the top drawer.

The inside of the top drawer is also interesting, as it can be used as a fully functional secretary compartment when the front is folded down, with four small drawers for storing writing utensils. The writing and work surface is veneered in cherry and finished on the outside with baluster galleries.

The veneer leaves of the front are also found on the top panel, rotated by 90° and running against each other, testifying to the experienced eye of the cabinetmaker and the good taste of the person who commissioned the piece of furniture around 200 years ago.

Worth knowing:
Chests of drawers with an integrated writing function were particularly popular in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, as they fulfilled the requirements of functionality and space economy in equal measure. Particularly in the often cramped living conditions of the urban bourgeoisie, they offered the possibility of integrating a fully-fledged writing desk into a formally restrained piece of furniture.

Condition:
Refurbished condition suitable for everyday use. The shellac polish "fires up" the wood and enhances the wonderful effect of the interesting grain pattern.

Price: 4700,-€