Said to be from New York, a wonderful "Butler's" style secretary desk has hand-carved paw feet, and dates from the American Empire period, about 1820.
The front has matched flame-grain mahogany and shaped columns with Ionic capitals. Entirely hand-made, drawers have tiny hand-cut dovetails and chamfered bottoms. The lustrous finish is excellent, and the one-board top is curly-grain solid mahogany almost 2' wide.
When the banded top drawer is pulled out, two brass buttons are pressed, allowing the front to drop down, revealing a writing surface with leather top. Inside are tiny drawers, cubicles and a door with a bird's eye maple panel. The desk area is 36" tall, stand-up or stool height.
Outstanding craftsmanship is evident everywhere on this very usable antique, which has had various restorations over many years - see photos.
Dimensions of this beautiful and historic furniture are 47" wide, 24" deep and 50" tall. L-B2283 |