Inlaid Satinwood Writing Table by Maple and Co

A fine quality inlaid satinwood writing table by the prestigious firm of Maple and Co of London. Dating to the late Victorian period and very well made with stunning satinwood veneers onto a solid mahogany frame. The top and drawer fronts are cross banded in rosewood and there is ebonised stringing inlay throughout. The drawer fronts are further decorated with extensive refined floral inlay. The top is fitted with a sumptuous black leather writing surface decorated with gilt tooling. There is an arrangement of one long central bow-fronted drawer flanked by a pair of deeper drawers. They are all fitted with their charming original brass handles and the left hand drawer is fitted with stationary compartments. This table is finished to the reverse so could be free-standing within a room if desired. It has elegant long tapering legs which terminate in original brass and ceramic castors. We have had this lovely table sympathetically repolished to a very high standard. It is now offered for sale in excellent condition with a great colour and patina.

Dimensions:

Width 107cms

Depth 63cms

Height 74.5cms

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.