Mahogany Pedestal Desk with Fitted Interior and Brass Gallery

• 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.
• Pedestal Desk - A pedestal desk is a type of desk that consists of a large work surface supported by two pedestals or cabinets, one on either side. The pedestals are usually identical and contain drawers and cabinets for storage. The desk's design allows it to be placed in the centre of a room, as the back of the desk is usually finished with the same veneer as the front.
  
  Pedestal desks were popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, and were usually made from high-quality wood, such as cedar, mahogany, walnut or oak, and were decorated with intricate carvings and other decorative details. They were used by businessmen, politicians, and other professionals, and were considered a symbol of status and success.
• Gallery - On furniture, a gallery is a small upright section, frequently pierced and decorated, around the tops of small items of furniture, such as davenports, side tables, and so forth. Galleries are made in brass or bronze,and be fretted, pierced or solid timber. A three-quarter gallery is one that surrounds three of the four sides of a table, desk or other top.
• 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.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• desks, period or age - Victorian 420
• desks, style or type - large antique partners / pedestal desks 172