Burr Walnut Partners Writing Desk by Maple and Co.

A fine quality Edwardian period burr walnut partners writing table, or desk in the Queen Anne style. Made by the prestigious London firm of Maple and Co. and fitted with Hobbs and Co locks. To the front there is an arrangement of one long central drawer flanked on either side by a pair of shorter drawers. All drawer fronts are cross banded and fitted with their original brass handles. To the rear there is a pair of cupboard doors flanking a central recess. The top of the table is fitted with a 3 part sumptuous black leather writing surface which is decorated with blind and gilt tooling. All standing on elegant cabriole legs with carved detailing to the knees and feet. Sympathetically refinished in our workshops to a very high standard and now offered for sale in excellent condition with a great colour and patina, ready to go straight into the home or office.

Dimensions:

Width 138cms

Depth 81cms

Height 78cms

Kneehole height 62cms

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.