Secrétaire Napoleon III Mahogany France XIX Century

France Late 19th century

Code :  ANMORI0173363

not available
Secrétaire Napoleon III Mahogany France XIX Century

France Late 19th century

Code :  ANMORI0173363

not available

Secrétaire Napoleon III Mahogany France XIX Century - France Late 19th century

Features

France Late 19th century

Style:  Napoleon III (1848-1870)

Age:  19th Century / 1801 - 1900

Origin:  France

Main essence:  Mahogany Walnut Sessile Oak

Material:  Gilded Bronze , Mahogany Veneer , Walnut Veneer , Mahogany Feather Banded Veneer , Walnut Burl Veneer , Black Marble

Description

Napoleon III Secrétaire desk in mahogany veneer and mahogany feather, France, late 19th century. Top in black marble, front with drawer projecting into the band, column uprights in the round with chiseled gilt bronze capitals, flap door concealing a cabinet with drawers, secrets and a pair of columns; pair of doors in the lower section, acorn feet. Interior veneered in walnut and walnut burl. Constructive part in oak.

Product Condition:
Product that due to age and wear requires restoration and resumption of polishing.

Dimensions (cm):
Height: 139,5
Width: 98
Depth: 49

Additional Information

Style: Napoleon III (1848-1870)

With Napoleon III as emperor, France experienced a period of extraordinary economic prosperity, a factor that allowed it to reconstitute a formidable war machine.
In short, we relive the dream that already belonged to Bonaparte: France, a great European hegemonic power.
Euphoria and grandeur find perfect correspondence also in the furnishings that characterized the Second Empire.
In Italy, the Napoleon III style had initially insignificant effects, imposing furnishings of imitation Louis XVI with an ornamental value only resolved in carving and completely devoid of bronze trappings, in compliance with a more sober taste that will always characterize the Italian client.
Only in the first decades of the twentieth century did "French" furniture find important commercial outlets in our country.
This is the name of the artistic production of France under Napoleon III, president in 1848 and emperor from 1852 to 1870, the year of his abdication.
More than a style, we can speak of a set of styles, or rather of revivals, given that in recent years the eclectic trend that had already appeared during the previous Louis Philippe reign developed to its extreme consequences.
The drive to re-evaluate history and the Middle Ages also derives from the romantic spirit, as well as from the nationalistic one.
The houses are then decorated mixing different styles and drawing from both the past and the East, with a trend towards luxury and pomp that reflects the emperor's desire for grandeur.
In general there is a return to the whole of the eighteenth century, with particular attention to Louis XVI, the fashion for dark woods (ebony and rosewood), exotic ones and bronze applications is confirmed.
From the seventeenth century the inlay created by André-Charles Boulle, the great cabinetmaker of Louis XIV who created an inlay technique in gilded bronze and tortoiseshell, is recovered, in which one of the two materials acts as a background for the perforated designs of the other. < br/> Compared to the refinement of the original pieces, the "Boulle" furniture of this period is heavier and even more eye-catching, given the addition of bright colors through painted foils or parts in blue, red or green colored horn.
Always in the wake of eclecticism, Venetian furniture arouses particular interest, which stimulates the production of polychrome and gilded furniture, in which figures of Moretti often appear as a support.
The latter are also to be connected to the passion for the exotic that leads to the fashion of chinoiserie (especially after the conquest of Beijing in 1860).
Find out more about the Napoleon III style with our insights:
a Napoleon III Secretaire to discover the furniture with hiding places
A Napoleon III table to discover the caryatid
FineArt: Chandelier - O. Lelièvre & Susse Frères, Paris, last quarter of the 19th century < / a>
FineArt: Napoleon III sideboard

Age: 19th Century / 1801 - 1900

19th Century / 1801 - 1900

Main essence:

Mahogany

It is one of the most precious and sought-after woods in cabinet making. It was discovered in Central America around 1600 and began to be imported to England in the 1700s. Much appreciated for its hardness and indestructibility, it became widespread following the blocking of walnut exports from France in 1720 and the consequent elimination of English import duties on mahogany from the colonies in America and India. The most valuable version comes from Cuba, but it became very expensive. At the end of the 18th century it began to be used also in France in Louis XVI, Directory and Empire furniture, its diffusion declined starting from when Napoleon, in 1810, forbade its import. It was generally used in the manufacture of elegant furniture, due to its characteristics and beautiful grain.

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.

Sessile Oak

Under the name of oak or oak various types of woods derived from plants of the genus quercus are grouped. They are always resistant, hard and compact woods. Oak is lighter than oak, both are used for more rustic furniture or for the interiors of French and English antique furniture. In other processes it was gradually replaced by the advent of exotic woods considered more valuable since the 18th century.

Material:

Gilded Bronze

Mahogany Veneer

Walnut Veneer

Mahogany Feather Banded Veneer

Walnut Burl Veneer

Black Marble

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