An Important Chippendale Period carved Mahogany Partners Desk

The shaped and moulded top with breakfront and canted angles, crossbanded and lined with tooled black Morocco leather. The desk in three sections with an arrangement of nine graduated drawers to each side with an additional arched drawer over the kneehole, cockbeaded and veneered with finely figured flame mahogany and retaining the original gilt brass rococo handles (one replaced). The canted corners carved with paterae, scrolls and acanthus on tapering pilasters and the kneehole with breakfront section, bordered by scrolled volutes over tapering pilasters over a plinth base.

The overall design of this desk relates closely to a pedestal desk from the collection of Irwin Untermyer, by repute once owned by the Duke of Wellington and sold at Christies New York on 17th October 2015, Property of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, $ 341,000.

The overall form to this desk is very similar with the central arched kneehole and carved canted corners with the drawers similarly veneered in flame mahogany and with identical gilt brass handles. Interestingly these handles were also used by Thomas Chippendale on a parcel gilt padouk breakfront bookcase supplied to Dumfries House in 1759.

REF982