Burr Walnut Pedestal Desk by Maple and Co

A superb quality burr walnut pedestal desk by the prestigious firm of Maple and Co. Of excellent construction in solid walnut , with stunning burr walnut veneers and oak lined drawers. There is an arrangement of 8 short and one long , central, drawer all fitted with their original brass swan -neck handles. The drawer fronts are all cross banded with feather banding. The top is fitted with a sumptuous brown leather writing surface with blind and gilt tooled decoration. The whole desk stands on carved stylised ogee bracket feet. This desk is finished to the rear so it could be free-standing within a room if required. It breaks down into 3 sections for ease of installation. We have had this desk sympathetically repolished to a very high standard, it now has a wonderful colour and patina and is in excellent overall condition, ready to go straight into the home.

Dimensions:

Width 138cms

Depth 77cms

Height 78cms

Kneehole width 61cms

Kneehole height 63cms

Maple & Co was established by John Maple, a shopkeeper from Horley, Surrey, who later opened a furniture shop in Tottenham Court Road. However it was his son, John Blundell Maple , who made Maples & Co a success. With exceptional business skills, John B. Maple took over the company while still a young man. By the 1880s they were the largest furniture store in the world, exported their fine furniture to every continent.

Maples manufactured their luxury furniture entirely in-house, at a huge modern complex. A timber importer and furniture exporter, they landed prestigious contracts furnishing fine houses, hotels, embassies and palaces in Europe; among them Tsar Nicholas’s Winter Palace and the Hofburg Imperial Palace in Vienna . With his own empire established, John Blundell Maple achieved further fame in politics and horseracing – some lines, such as the Atherstoke antique cabinet, having racing connections in the titles.

Never compromising on quality, Maples produced a huge catalogue of fine furniture, covering every avenue of interior design. A Maples & Co sale today would cover everything from Chippendale Revival antique dining chairs , to Aesthetic style carved oak dressers, to Art Nouveau tulip carved antique dining tables – all from the same catalogue.

The exclusivity and high quality of craftsmanship of Maples’ antique cabinets, dining suites and bedroom furniture made them highly popular with Britain’s social elite. Today, they appeal to anyone who appreciates fine craftsmanship.