Antique Victorian Inlaid Mahogany Architects Desk by Edwards & Roberts 19th C

This is a superb antique Victorian mahogany satinwood and Goncalo Alves marquetry inlaid and satin wood crossbanded Architects desk by the renowned Victorian retailer and cabinet makers Edwards & Roberts, circa 1880 in date.

The desk features a hinged crossbanded lift-up architect's top with ratchet adjustment above three short frieze drawers. The centre drawer is fitted with the original inset gold tooled black leather writing slope, and it is stamped EDWARDS & ROBERTS.

The drawers above a recess with a pair of doors with artist trophy inlaid oval marquetry reserves enclosing deep shelves and flanked by doors with urns inlay enclosing folio compartments. The desk is raised on a substantial breakfront plinth base.

Instill the elegance of a bygone era to a special place in your home with this fabulous antique desk.

Complete with working locks and original keys and brass handles.

This desk will soon become the centrepiece of your furniture collection, there is no mistaking the sophisticated quality and design and it is certain to enhance the style and elegance of any living area, bedroom, or reception.

Condition:

In really excellent condition having only been beautifully cleaned and waxed in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation.

Dimensions in cm:

Height 82 x Width 122 x Depth 76

Dimensions in inches:

Height 2 foot, 8 inches x Width 4 foot x Depth 2 foot, 6 inches

Edwards & Roberts

The firm Edwards & Roberts was one of the best English antique furniture cabinet makers of the second half of the eighteenth century. The company was founded in 1845 and by 1854 was trading as ‘Edwards & Roberts’, 21 Wardour Street, Antique and Modern Cabinet Makers and Importers of Ancient Furniture’. By 1892 they occupied more than a dozen buildings in Wardour Street, where they continued to trade until the end of the century.

They became one of the leading London cabinet makers and retailers producing high quality furniture and working in a variety of styles, both modern and revivalist. Their business also involved retailing, adapting and restoring the finest antique furniture and there are many examples of their earlier furniture with later embellishments bearing their stamp. The quality of timber used was always the best quality with fine burr walnuts, finely figured mahogany and lighter toned satinwood as they specialised in marquetry, inlay and ormolu.

Gonçalo Alves is a hardwood (from the Portuguese name, Gonçalo Alves). It is sometimes referred to as tigerwood — a name that underscore the wood’s often dramatic, contrasting color scheme.

While the sapwood is very light in color, the heartwood is a sombre brown, with dark streaks that give it a unique look. The wood’s color deepens with exposure and age and even the plainer-looking wood has a natural luster.

Two species are usually listed as sources for gonçalo alves: Astronium fraxinifolium and Astronium graveolens, although other species in the genus may yield similar wood; the amount of striping that is present may vary.

In the high tropical forests of Central and South America, well-drained soils furnish nutrients for a variety of dense, durable hardwoods sought for maritime use, heavyconstruction, and furniture. The Spanish began harvesting in Latin American forests in the early 1500s to provide timber for boatbuilding and repair. By the early 1900s, however, steel ships had replaced wooden ones, and the interest in tropical forests by both Europeans and Americans shifted to appearance-grade woods for furniture.

Although history fails to provide us with a shopping list of species from either harvest period, it's probable that the wood we know today as goncalo alves has always been sought. That's because goncalo alves, considered one of the most beautiful of tropical woods, has a tough reputation, too.