Directoire Writing Desk Silver Fir Walnut Italy 19th Century

Directoire Writing Desk Silver Fir Walnut Italy 19th Century

Features

Style: Directoire (1790-1804)

Age: 19th Century / 1801 - 1900

Origin: Veneto, Italy

Main essence: Silver Fir , Walnut

Material: Solid Fir , Solid Walnut

Description

Directorie desk supported by curved legs; it has a pair of drawers at the sides and a central one that is surmounted by an pull-out writing top. Walnut with silver fir interiors.

Product Condition:
The item shows signs of wear due to age. Any damage or loss is displayed as completely as possible in the pictures. It may require restoration and recovery of french polish.

Dimensions (cm):
Height: 81,3
Width: 139
Depth: 59,5

Additional Information

Style: Directoire (1790-1804)

In this short period of time we witness, in the furniture, an accentuation of the archaeological rigor and at the same time an accentuated linear severity is formulated that in fact preludes and anticipates forms and ornaments that will then be typical of the Empire style.
The Direttorio period furniture abandons the delicate pastel colors that characterize the Louis XVI production in favor of the dark magnificence of mahogany, which in its vast range of essences will be by far the most appreciated wood in this period.
Added to this is a general abandonment of floral inlay trends to which simple ebony or amaranth stained wood threads are preferred, the most fashionable is the inclusion of slight linear brass profiles.
The novelties are grafted on a trend that usually finds types already widespread in the neoclassical era, and in some cases there is no lack of significant innovations: the chairs, often painted in light colors and archaeological motifs, are distinguished by the typical backrest upholstered or finished with openwork which is rolled "en crosse" and "S".
The rear legs are all the rage when curved like a saber and the wraparound backrest type, known as a gondola, is widespread.
For studies and libraries, models of chairs characterized by a high concave backrest, called "en hémicycle", with a usually solid structure and with a seat covered in leather, spread.
The use of the secrétaires is widespread and the type of toilet is completely new, now similar to a console on which rests a tilting mirror within hinged plates.
Certainly the most imaginative novelty of this period is the graceful psyche, consisting of a large oval-shaped or rectangular mirror, mounted within high wooden supports and generally supported by saber-shaped legs.
This is the era where the oval or round dining table is very popular, while the desk continues to maintain the shape of the à bureau plats models already known in the previous era.
In this period there are no particular technical-constructive innovations, the technologies remain those already in use since the beginning of the mid-eighteenth century.
Find out more about the Directory with our insights:
The game table, this unknown

Age: 19th Century / 1801 - 1900

19th Century / 1801 - 1900

Main essence:

Silver Fir

Soft coniferous wood, used for rustic furniture or to build the chest, that is the structure, of furniture then veneered in more precious woods. It has been used since ancient times, its most valuable use is, in the Spruce variant, in the inlays of French antique furniture of the '700 . The spruce, more typical of northern Europe, in Italy grows mainly in the Eastern Alps at altitudes above 1300 m. The noblest use of this essence was in the construction of violins, guitars and cellos: Stradivari himself produced his famous violins with this wood.

Walnut

Walnut wood comes from the plant whose botanical name is juglans regia , probably originally from the East but very common in Europe. Light or dark brown in color, it is a hard wood with a beautiful grain, widely used in antique furniture. It was the main essence in Italy throughout the Renaissance and later had a good diffusion in Europe, especially in England, until the advent of mahogany. It was used for solid wood furniture and sometimes carvings and inlays, its only big limitation is that it suffers a lot from woodworm. In France it was widely used more than anything else in the provinces. In the second half of the eighteenth century its use decreased significantly because mahogany and other exotic woods were preferred.