Object Description
This is a truly superb antique Victorian Period burr walnut Dickens pedestal desk, circa 1880 in date.
The sunken central superstructure is flanked on either side by columns of five drawers centred by a gallery shelf above a hinged surface enclosing pigeon holes and a small horizontal hinged compartment for writing utensils.
The desk is fitted with three faded green and gold tooled inset leather writing surfaces, one on the centre slope flanked by one on either side. There are three drawers to the frieze with three further drawers to each pedestal. The desk is raised on a pedestal plinth base on bun feet.
The central section is ideal for your lap top.
Complete with working locks and keys.
Install the elegance of a bygone era to a special place in your home with this fabulous antique burr walnut Dickens pedestal desk.
Condition:
In excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned, polished and waxed in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation.
Dimensions in cm:
Height 117 x Width 114 x Depth 82
Dimensions in inches:
Height 3 foot, 10 inches x Width 3 foot, 9 inches x Depth 2 foot, 8 inches
Walnut & Burr Walnut
Walnut is a hard, dense, tight- grained wood that polishes to a very smooth finish. It is a popular and attractive wood whose colour ranges from near white in the sapwood to a dark hew in the heartwood. When dried in a kiln, walnut wood tends to develop a dull brown colour, but when air-dried can become a rich purplish-brown. Because of its colour, hardness and grain, it is a prized furniture and carving wood. Walnut veneer was highly priced and the cost would reflect the ‘fanciness’ of the veneer – the more decorative, then the more expensive and desirable.
Burr walnut refers to the swirling figure present in nearly all walnut when cut and polished, and especially in the wood taken from the base of the tree where it joins the roots. However the true burr is a rare growth on the tree where hundreds of tiny branches have started to grow. Burr walnut produces some of the most complex and beautiful figuring you can find.
Walnut “burrs” were often used to make fabulous furniture. Veneer sliced from walnut burl is one of the most valuable and highly prized by cabinet makers and prestige car manufacturers and is also a favourite material for shotgun stocks.
Inlay was commonly used in the production of decorative burr walnut furniture, where pieces of coloured veneers are inlaid into the surface of the walnut, adding delicate or intricate patterns and designs. Inlays normally use various exotic veneers, but other materials such as mother-of-pearl, brass or bone were also be used.
Our reference: A2143