Mahogany Partner's Desk with Green Leather Top
You must be a subscriber, and be logged in to view price and dealer details.
Subscribe Now to view actual auction price for this item
When you subscribe, you have the option of setting the currency in which to display prices to $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.
- Mahogany - Mahogany is a dense, close grained red-coloured timber from the West Indies and Central America. It was first imported into Europe in the the early 18th century and its use continued through the 19th century. It was popular for furniture making because of its strength, the wide boards available, the distinctive grain on some boards, termed flame mahogany and the rich warm colour of the timber when it was polished.. The "flame" was produced where a limb grew out from the trunk of the tree, and this timber was usually sliced into veneers for feature panels on doors, backs and cornices.
Some terms used to describe mahogany relate to the country from which it originally came, such as "Cuban" mahogany, "Honduras" mahogany etc. However unless the wood has been tested the names assigned are more a selling feature, rather than a true indication of the timber's origin. - Frieze - An architectural term denoting the flat, shaped or convex horizontal surface of furniture, between the architrave and the cornice, usually found on a cabinet or bookcase, or on desks and tables where it may include drawers, the area between the top and the legs. In ceramics, the term refers to the banding, of usually a repeating pattern, on the rims of plates and vases.
- Plinth - The square or rectangular base of a piece of cabinet furniture, often ornamented with moulding. The plinth may be separate, as in some wardrobes or presses, and act as the support for the carcase. In a false plinth, the moulded boards may be attached directly to the piece. Furniture with a plinth base usually does not have separate feet. The term derives from architecture where it denotes the base of a column or statue.
- Pedestal - The columns that support many dining tables and most small occasional tables. They are usually turned, though octagonal-shaped pedestals were fashionable during the 1830s and 1840s.
This item has been included into following indexes:
Visually similar items
A mahogany nine drawer twin pedestal writing desk with tool leather top, 76 cm high, 153 cm wide, 82 cm deep
A large mahogany twin pedestal partners desk, circa 1860, with a tooled green leather writing plane above two pedestals each with four drawers with brass escutcheons conforming to the recessed hinge style handles, and to the rear two keyed cupboards each w
A fine early 20th century French partners desk, the top inset with gold embossed leather with a moulded edge, above three frieze drawers on end pedestal with graduated drawers. 77 cm high, 191 cm wide, 120 cm deep.
A French mahogany tooled leather top twin pedestal desk. 75 cm high, 150 cm wide, 90 cm deep.