Etsy - lovageshop Antique Secretaire Chest Of Drawers
Description
Ornate antique secretaire bureau or large chest of four drawers with fitted upper interior. A beautiful piece made in the mid to late 1800's, probably British but could well be French or Italian. The top drawer pulls out & the front comes down to reveal an interior of six small drawers & an arched alcove. The little drawers are veneered in a light wood, probably maple, as is part of the writing surface below them. Three of the glass knobs are missing & one replaced. When closed, the piece appears to be a five drawer chest (or four: the bottom drawer is not obvious) with intricate inlays at the top & base. The front verticals are highly carved & there are ornate mouldings above. Unfortunately the condition is only fair: some moulding is missing on the left vertical; another is missing from the side top, though we have that piece; the figured veneer that covers most of the piece is damaged & has many old repairs (quite charming really) and, most obviously, one drawer has some large pieces of veneer missing, revealing the base wood below. This can be repaired, & though that might be fairly expensive, the piece warrants it. Alternatively, it could be stained to a similar colour; it'd look better & doesn't preclude future, better repairs. The finish on the upper flap has a large water mark. On the plus side, the structure is pretty sound; we've been through all the drawers repairing where necessary & they work quite well & are solid enough. Some are a little stiff, particularly the fitted top, but I believe they will improve after some months in a warm house. Failing that, a little sanding here & there, but no point yet. No drawer knobs; keys would've been used for that: guess what? There aren't any.. Sounds like a litany of woes, I know; I'm just pointing out what needs doing, or tolerating; the good points are obvious & many. This is a lovely thing that would like a bit of help; we've kept the price very reasonable.. Dimensions: 118cm x 60cm x 110cm high (open depth 95cm, flap height 88cm) Antique Secretaire Chest Of Drawers
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