Empire Walnut Secretaire Manufactured in Italy Early 1800s

Code :  ANTRIB0000300

not available
Empire Walnut Secretaire Manufactured in Italy Early 1800s

Code :  ANTRIB0000300

not available

Empire Walnut Secretaire Manufactured in Italy Early 1800s

Features

Style:  Empire (1804-1815)

Age:  19th Century / 1801 - 1900

Origin:  Italy

Main essence:  Walnut

Description

A secretaire with three drawers plus one under the top and drop-leaf door. Six small drawers inside plus three secret drawers and open compartments. Uprights with ebonized half-columns with gilded wood capitals. Manufactured in Italy, early 19th century.

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: 150,5
Width: 90,5
Depth: 43

Additional Information

Style: Empire (1804-1815)

Decorative style of the furniture that is affirmed under the Empire of Napoleon Bonaparte, that is, between 1799, the year of his election as consul, and 1815, the year of his definitive defeat.
It has many elements of continuity with the previous Direttorio style, in the more general Neoclassical climate, which derived from the study of classical antiquity the forms and models to be inspired in the creation of furniture.
The peculiar feature of this style is a greater grandeur and courtesy of the furnishings, which had to convey the grandeur of the French nation to the world, hence the name Empire style.
The furniture is characterized by straight, majestic and massive lines, adorned with motifs dear to Napoleon such as bees, eagles, large Ns surrounded by laurel, and, after the Egyptian campaign, many elements taken from Egyptian art.
He prefers the flat bronze decorations, often gilded, to the refined carvings of previous years.
The typical essence of Empire furniture is mahogany.
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Age: 19th Century / 1801 - 1900

19th Century / 1801 - 1900

Main essence: 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.