A finely proportioned Biedermeier roll-top desk of richly figured flame mahogany, circa 1845 and of North German or Baltic origin.
The desk offers exceptional storage and functionality with a total of eleven working drawers and three cupboards. The desk retains its original brass hardware with four keys present and all locks in good, functioning condition. The flame mahogany veneers are of particularly good quality, displaying dramatic cathedral figuring across the upper frieze, tambour and drawer fronts.
The tambour opens smoothly to reveal a fitted interior comprising four drawers flanking a central cupboard, above a leather-inset writing surface. The tooled desktop pulls forward over the pedestals flanking a central kneehole cabinet to provide ample leg room.
Concealed within the upper section is a further hidden gallery with a full-width drawer and two smaller drawers, while the lower section provides a full-width frieze drawer, three pedestal drawers, a central cupboard and a second cupboard ingeniously disguised behind three graduated false drawer fronts.
The original, unrestored condition is very good. The tambour operates smoothly, all principal storage compartments function as intended, and the desk retains a rich original surface with a warm, well-preserved patina developed through careful use. Note the loss of a small piece of moulding from the frieze drawer. The desktop separates from the lower pedestals for transportation.
Both elegant and highly practical, this is an accomplished example of Biedermeier cabinetmaking, combining refined simplicity with an unusually sophisticated arrangement of concealed storage.
Origin: North German
Date: c. 1845
Style: Biedermeier
Dimensions: 130cm wide, 127cm tall and 80cm deep when closed.
A finely proportioned Biedermeier roll-top desk of richly figured flame mahogany, circa 1845 and of North German or Baltic origin.
The desk offers exceptional storage and functionality with a total of eleven working drawers and three cupboards. The desk retains its original brass hardware with four keys present and all locks in good, functioning condition. The flame mahogany veneers are of particularly good quality, displaying dramatic cathedral figuring across the upper frieze, tambour and drawer fronts.
The tambour opens smoothly to reveal a fitted interior comprising four drawers flanking a central cupboard, above a leather-inset writing surface. The tooled desktop pulls forward over the pedestals flanking a central kneehole cabinet to provide ample leg room.
Concealed within the upper section is a further hidden gallery with a full-width drawer and two smaller drawers, while the lower section provides a full-width frieze drawer, three pedestal drawers, a central cupboard and a second cupboard ingeniously disguised behind three graduated false drawer fronts.
The original, unrestored condition is very good. The tambour operates smoothly, all principal storage compartments function as intended, and the desk retains a rich original surface with a warm, well-preserved patina developed through careful use. Note the loss of a small piece of moulding from the frieze drawer. The desktop separates from the lower pedestals for transportation.
Both elegant and highly practical, this is an accomplished example of Biedermeier cabinetmaking, combining refined simplicity with an unusually sophisticated arrangement of concealed storage.
Origin: North German
Date: c. 1845
Style: Biedermeier
Dimensions: 130cm wide, 127cm tall and 80cm deep when closed.