Object Description
This is a fine antique Victorian burr walnut twin pedestal desk, Circa 1860 in date.
It is made from fabulous burr walnut. The rectangular top with a fabulous inset gold tooled green leather writing surface with three drawers in the frieze over a pair of pedestals, each with three graduated drawers, all fitted with their original brass drop handles. The desk stands on a plinth base raised on hidden brass castors.
The desk has its original locks and keys.
Instil the elegance of a bygone era in a special place in your home with this fabulous and rare decorative antique burr walnut desk.
Condition:
In excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned, polished and waxed and the leather replaced in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation.
Dimensions in cm:
Height 79 cm x Width 148 cm x Depth 60.5 cm
Height 63 cm x Width 58 cm – Knee Hole
Dimensions in inches:
Height 2 foot, 7 inches x Width 4 foot, 10 inches x Depth 2 feet
Height 2 feet, 1 inch x Width 1 foot, 11 inches – Knee Hole
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 wood for furniture and carving. 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.
Our reference: A5067