Antique Marquetry Carlton House Desk Writing Table Druce & C0 19th C

This is a beautiful antique, mahogany, satinwood and marquetry Carlton House Writing Table by the renowned London retailer and cabinet maker Druce & Co, circa 1880 in date.

The top is surmounted with a decorative brass gallery and it is inlaid with a stunning marquetry of baskets of flowers, swags and swirls, a musical trophy and scrolling foliage, the conforming back with urns and a prominent scallop shell.

There are plenty of storage compartments to accommodate all of your stationery. In addition to the eight smaller drawers and five cupboards on top of the desk, there are five larger drawers below.

The top has been relined with a fine quality gilt tooled oxblood leather inset sliding writing surface. The central drawer bears the embossed brass trade label of DRUCE & CO UPHOLSTERERS & CABINET MAKERS BAKER STREET PORTMAN SQUARE LONDON W.

It stands on four elegant tapering legs that terminate in their original brass castors.

The locks, handles, keys and castors are all present and original.

It is freestanding which means that it is finished all around, so can be placed anywhere.

Condition:

In excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned and polished and the leather relined in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation.

Dimensions in cm:

Height 100 x Width 136 x Depth 63

Dimensions in inches:

Height 39.4 x Width 53.5 x Depth 24.8

Druce & Co of 68 Baker Street, Portman Square, London, were established in the 1840's and were both cabinet makers and retailers of second-hand furniture. In the Marlebone Trade Directory of 1853, they described themselves as 'Furnishers,Upholsterers and Upholders for clients of discernment'.

Carlton House desk is a specific antique desk form within the more general bureau à gradin form. This specific form is supposed to have been designed in 1790s for the Prince of Wales (who later became George IV) by George Hepplewhite. It is named after Carlton House, which was at the time the London residence of the Prince of Wales. This kind of desk is sometimes also known as a Carlton House writing table.

The desk is like a normal writing table but the small drawers above the surface form a "U" shape around the user instead of being merely set up in front of him as is usual in a typical bureau a gradin. Unlike other types of bureau a gradin the Carlton House desk usually offers no pigeonholes. There are usually small slopes over the two desktop drawers at the left and right ends of the "U" shape.

Drawings of this type of desk were presented by Hepplewhite in his famous design book the Cabinet Maker and Upholsterers Guide and by Thomas Sheraton in his own famous book of designs, The Cabinet Maker and Upholsterer's Drawing Book, thus ensuring its popularity.

Our reference: 09005