19th Century Empire Style Writing Desk

Details

Description

This historically important desk has carved acanthus leaf trestle legs and flame mahogany veneers, a furniture style favored during the … Read more This historically important desk has carved acanthus leaf trestle legs and flame mahogany veneers, a furniture style favored during the mid-to-late century. The desk has a lifting flat top with storage drawers. The drawers are fitted with the original clear cut-glass knobs. A rope-like carved wooden molding trims the entire bottom edge of the desk. The top rests on heavily carved, thick legs with ornate claw feet.
The desk has important historical value and was acquired from the estate of Captain James English more than 40 years ago and has not been offered for sale prior to now. Captain English was an officer in the Confederate Army, served as a mayor of Atlanta and was the long-time chairman of the Fourth National Bank.
Documents of provenance provided with the desk include an original menu of Captain English's grand retirement dinner hosted at the Capital City Club in Atlanta, an original newspaper clipping from the time of his death (noting that he left bequests to a few family servants) and a copy of his will. The menu is particularly interesting with the listing of food served and the many important Atlanta individuals who attended the retirement dinner. Many of these names will be recognized now as the name of buildings and hospitals in Atlanta.
The desk itself is a lovely piece and the historical value is without match. See less