Secrétaire - Alpine Green - secretary's office

lot/secretaire alpine green secretary s office M88W3LU 633411382 / Price history

lot/secretaire alpine green secretary s office M88W3LU 633411382

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lot/secretaire alpine green secretary s office M88W3LU 633411382

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Secrétaire - Alpine Green - secretary's office

Trumeau with secret (or double-bodied secretary-desk), a masterpiece of cabinetmaking that fuses the Transitional style with Louis XV / Louis XVI influences. • Central Painted Panel: At the center a magnificent hand-painted gallant scene in the fêtes galantes style (inspired by 18th-century genre painting by artists such as Antoine Watteau or François Boucher), depicting a couple immersed in a pastoral outdoor moment of music. • Structure and Veneering: The body is finely veneered in precious woods with a herringbone grain arrangement and diamond motifs on the drawers, enriched by elegant inlaid fillets. • Side Compartments: The upper section features a shaped cornice and is flanked by two arched side vitrines, perfect for displaying precious books or porcelain. • Finishes: Handles and key escutcheons are in chased bronze, while the base rests on solid onion-shaped feet. The Internal Compartment (La Segreta) Opening the large central door with the gallant scene reveals a splendid interior writing area, typical of high-end cabinetry: • The Recessed Lunette: At the top there is an arched space closed by a semicircular tambour shutter. It is decorated with a central geometric motif of a circular concentric pattern, outlined by a fine beaded gilt bronze border. Lowering the tambour, a further hidden compartment is accessible. • The Central Dresser: Under the arch runs a vertical column of five stacked drawers. Each is veneered with superb burl or figured walnut veneer, arranged in mirror-like fashion to create a continuous geometric pattern that highlights the wood’s natural grain. The drawers are fitted with small dark, discreet knobs. • The Side Columns: The drawer structure is flanked by two elegant full-rounded wooden columns, turned with bulbous motifs and smooth shafts. These columns serve not only as neoclassical architectural decoration (Louis XVI) but also delimit two open vertical compartments (known as “portalettere” or “portadocumenti”). The Upper Marble Close-up images of the top part of the piece show the finish of the supporting planes: • Type: The piece is crowned with Verde Alpi marble slabs (historically known as Verde di Susa), characterized by a dark, intense green background, veined with white and crystal-clear light green shades. • Workmanship: The marble features a perimetral shaping with an owl’s-beak corner that is slightly rounded and polished, following the broken, stepped lines of the piece’s upper cornice. External Structure and Close Veneering Details • The Cornice: The upper part (beneath the marble) highlights the complex double-body, three-level structure. The horizontal boards display diagonally matched grain with masterful alignment. • The Decorative Fillets: Along the edges of the upper panels and around the geometric shapes of the lower large drawers are visible slender inlaid fillets in gilt brass with a geometric zig-zag or braid pattern. This detail, combined with the choice of marbles and wood geometries, confirms the transition toward the French or Central-European neoclassical taste of the late nineteenth century (Napoleon III Style / Transitions Revival).

Estimate:$784.31

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