Secretaire
1785-1820 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
This secretaire (a French term for a writing desk) was used for keeping private papers secret and safe. At first sight the piece looks like a cabinet or cupboard. However, the front flap falls open to form a horizontal writing surface. The cabinet contains shelves and drawers and a drawer beneath the fall front for storing papers.
Materials & Making
This cabinet demonstrates two luxurious and expensive techniques for embellishing furniture. The first is boulle, created by laying a light-coloured metal, either brass or pewter, over a dark ground such as tortoiseshell. The second is the decoration of the fall front and the drawer beneath it with pietre dure, an Italian term for inlaid hardstones. This example includes red jasper, lapis lazuli, amethysts and marbles from Italy and Tunisia. Both the boulle side panels and the pietra dura front panels originally date from the 17th century and have been reused here, illustrating how highly 19th-century collectors and antiquarians valued such fine craftsmanship.
Time
It is unusual to find such a cabinet mounted with a combination of both boulle and pietra dura panels. This piece should probably be dated to the early 19th century, although it is made in the style of the late18th.
This secretaire (a French term for a writing desk) was used for keeping private papers secret and safe. At first sight the piece looks like a cabinet or cupboard. However, the front flap falls open to form a horizontal writing surface. The cabinet contains shelves and drawers and a drawer beneath the fall front for storing papers.
Materials & Making
This cabinet demonstrates two luxurious and expensive techniques for embellishing furniture. The first is boulle, created by laying a light-coloured metal, either brass or pewter, over a dark ground such as tortoiseshell. The second is the decoration of the fall front and the drawer beneath it with pietre dure, an Italian term for inlaid hardstones. This example includes red jasper, lapis lazuli, amethysts and marbles from Italy and Tunisia. Both the boulle side panels and the pietra dura front panels originally date from the 17th century and have been reused here, illustrating how highly 19th-century collectors and antiquarians valued such fine craftsmanship.
Time
It is unusual to find such a cabinet mounted with a combination of both boulle and pietra dura panels. This piece should probably be dated to the early 19th century, although it is made in the style of the late18th.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 3 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Ebony on oak and pine; marquetry of tortoiseshell, brass and pewter; pietre dure (hardstones) and gilt-bronze |
| Brief description | FRENCH ANTIQUE SECRETAIRE |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | British Galleries:
Grand French Style interiors often combined antiques with new furnishings. The rich combination of ebony with coloured hardstones was one of the most popular aspects of French Style.(27/03/2003) |
| Credit line | Bequeathed by W. S. Sutherland |
| Object history | Made in Paris, probably by Adam Weisweiler (born in Neuwied am Rhein, Germany, 1744, died in Paris, 1820) |
| Summary | Object Type This secretaire (a French term for a writing desk) was used for keeping private papers secret and safe. At first sight the piece looks like a cabinet or cupboard. However, the front flap falls open to form a horizontal writing surface. The cabinet contains shelves and drawers and a drawer beneath the fall front for storing papers. Materials & Making This cabinet demonstrates two luxurious and expensive techniques for embellishing furniture. The first is boulle, created by laying a light-coloured metal, either brass or pewter, over a dark ground such as tortoiseshell. The second is the decoration of the fall front and the drawer beneath it with pietre dure, an Italian term for inlaid hardstones. This example includes red jasper, lapis lazuli, amethysts and marbles from Italy and Tunisia. Both the boulle side panels and the pietra dura front panels originally date from the 17th century and have been reused here, illustrating how highly 19th-century collectors and antiquarians valued such fine craftsmanship. Time It is unusual to find such a cabinet mounted with a combination of both boulle and pietra dura panels. This piece should probably be dated to the early 19th century, although it is made in the style of the late18th. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.29:1 to 3-1916 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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