Large Mahogany And Mahogany Veneer Cylinder Desk, Restoration Period, 1st Third Of The 19th Century

Large cylinder deskin mahogany and flamed mahogany veneer. It is surmounted by three drawers arranged in alignment. It also opens by four drawers in the lower part, and has two slide panels inlaid with gilt-tooled green leather on both sides. The cylinder reveals an interior composed of three drawers and three maple veneer lockers and a writing tablet furnished with old leather with guilt tooling. It rests on four solid mahogany double baluster legs. White marble top.

1st third of the 19th century.


The cylinder-top desk was invented in France around 1760 and copied in Britain soon afterwards. In the first examples the roll top consisted of battens fixed next to each other on a canvas backing, allowing the panel to slide away flat when the top was opened. The rigid roll-top form seen in this piece was a later development, which again appears to have first appeared in France. It was adopted in Britain in the 1780s.