193. (71). Secretaire. Dimensions: h. 190x56x103 cm. Period and style: Biedermeier, 1815-48. Manufacture: Germany.
Materials: maple and figured maple, partially stained. Carved, gilded and ebonized wood. Gilded lead decoration.
Exceptional secretaire, a masterpiece of German cabinetmaking. The monumentality typical of German cabinetmaking furniture is softened by the skillful and balanced distribution of the decoration. In the upper part, a convex door allows access to a large compartment. It is embellished by a large frieze resting on a burr panel inserted undercut. On the sides, two carved ebonized sphinxes are placed three-quarters inside large projecting arches. In the lower part, three drawers, the drop-front writing surface and a further drawer above are flanked by two torches with a conical burr body and carved and gilded flames. The interior structure is composed of five drawers, two open compartments and a central door, behind which a compartment and another drawer are hidden. Skillful contrasts of burr and uniform parts underline the entire pattern of the furniture. Perfect state of preservation, which shows us the original gilded cast lead frieze, which was almost always replaced in the second half of the 19th century by one made of brass, now produced economically.
This piece of furniture is published on page 50, in "Nineteenth-Century Furniture" Artioli editore, Modena; in the essay written by us.
