Antique Victorian Mahogany Davenport Secretaire, England, 1890s

Details

Description

Late Victorian English Davenport secretary from the 1890s:

This piece of furniture combines traditional Victorian forms with the clean design … Read more Late Victorian English Davenport secretary from the 1890s:

This piece of furniture combines traditional Victorian forms with the clean design elements of the Aesthetic Movement and the Anglo-Japanese style.

Beneath the writing surface is a spacious compartment with three small interior drawers. On the right side of the body are four full-length drawers with fine, hand-crafted dovetail joints. The left side is—in keeping with tradition—a symmetrical dummy panel with dummy drawers and knobs.

Aesthetic Movement/Eastlake style: The front panel below the writing surface features fine, ebonized geometric line engravings. The front support columns are decorated with stylized floral rosettes.

Anglo-Japanese influence: Directly below the writing surface are finely crafted geometric ornaments in the Japanese lattice style.

Victorian tradition: The consoles on the sled feet, carved with curved leaves, bridge the gap to classic High Victorian furniture design.

Craftsmanship: The joinery is a testament to high English craftsmanship. The drawers are traditionally numbered on the underside with stamped dots to ensure a precise fit within the cabinet.

Condition:
Very good, ready-to-use condition with an authentic, aged patina.

The secretary has been gently cleaned and repolished with a beeswax-based furniture balm. There is a small cosmetic blemish on the leather surface. Fine, age-related cosmetic drying cracks are visible on the left side of the cabinet, near the ornament and the supporting column.

As is often the case with English workshop pieces of this period, the historical surface finish was applied quickly by hand, which is authentically evident in the occasional small stain marks in the inside corners. Normal, age-appropriate wear on the leather and wood otherwise emphasizes the patina of this approximately 130-year-old piece of furniture.

It has two original brass locks stamped "Made in England / Secure 4 Lever". Keys are not included.

Dimensions of the cabinet:
Width 57 cm
Height 86 cm
Writing height (lowest point) 71 cm
Depth 57 cm

Interior dimensions of large drawers:
Width 25.5 cm
Depth 49.6 cm
Height 10 cm

Interior dimensions of small drawers:
Width 14 cm
Depth 17 cm
Height 6 cm See less