Secrétaire Empire

Features

Style: Empire (1804-1815)

Age: 19th Century / 1801 - 1900

Origin: Italy

Main essence: Walnut

Description

Secrétaire veneered in hiking boots walnut, presents on the front three drawers, surmounted by a tilting door, concealing a scarabattolo by the architectural forms. Different compartments, boxes and secrets are made to order within with porticoes, colonnades: in the lower part, above a drawer, there are three arches supported by a pair of columns, the lateral ones each containing a drawer, while the central compartment is mirrored; the upper side of the other small compartments are obtained by a series of arches, ornamented with turned columns. On the front, two side columns support the band undermount projecting, within which there is an additional drawer. There are some shortcomings, such as applications in bronze at the base of one of the columns on the front.

Product Condition:
Product in good conditions, shows some signs of wear.

Dimensions (cm):
Height: 151,5
Width: 94,5
Depth: 47

With certificate of authenticity

Certificate issued by: Enrico Sala

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.