English Oak Renaissance Revival Cabinet

Presenting an absolutely stunning 16th century carved Spanish oak writing desk and cabinet, with amazing provenance and historical and literary significance. This desk/cabinet was purchased by a wealthy Dallas family from a French antique auction held at the club room in the Stoneleigh court (hotel), Dallas on Wednesday the 2nd April 1930. (Now the meridian hotel). The auction was titled: “works of art and furnishings of the Chateau de Turique (Nancy) and the Conde-Rougemont home (Touraine). The cover of the catalog also has a seal of a coat of arms. The second page gives a brief description of the auction contents and states that " this exhibition will be presented by M. Fernand M. Adda of Paris France". The desk/cabinet was lot no: 565 and was described in the auction catalog as: "Carved Spanish writing desk and cabinet...... 16th century period....Upper section a cabinet with two doors which are paneled and display a fine carving. The interior is fitted with eight engraved drawers, and a writing tablet is disclosed in the lower portion. Sustained and central arcade of columns. From Fontana Rosa collection. Supported on four turned legs with bulbous feet." Fontana Rosa is a historic garden situated on the avenue Blasco Ibáñez in Menton, Alpes-Maritimes, on the French Riviera. The Spanish writer Vicente Blasco Ibanez (1869-1928) began to build it from 1922 on, and he set up home here with his second wife, Elena, and died there in 1928. Vicente Blasco Ibanez was a journalist, politician and best-selling Spanish novelist in various genres whose most widespread and lasting fame in the English-speaking world is from Hollywood films adapted from his works. The provenance is impeccable, it belonged to Ibanez and was part of his collection at Fontana Rosa when he died in 1928. The auction in which it was first sold in Dallas was in 1930, which makes perfect sense from a 'timeline' point of view. Ibanez is a very important literary figure. Having regard to the fact that this is a writing desk means that in all probability, Ibanez would have 'penned' some of his famous works at this very desk and using the surviving slope/shelf. Fontana Rosa is a historic garden situated on the Avenue Blasco Ibáñez in Menton, Alpes-Maritimes, on the French Riviera. The Spanish writer Vicente Blasco Ibáñez (1869-1928) began to build it from 1922 on, and he set up home here with his second wife, Elena, and died there in 1928. This garden with Spanish and Menton pottery is found in avenue Blasco Ibanez, near Garavan station, and was created a Historical Monument in 1990. It is also called “Le Jardin des Romanciers” (El Jardín de los Novelistas/The Garden of Novelists), and was frequented by celebrities such as Jean Cocteau. It was the place where Blasco Ibáñez wrote Mare Nostrum, a novel filmed later in 1926. The garden inspired by Andalusian and Arabian-Persian styles contains species such as Ficus macrophylla, Araucaria heterophylla , palm trees, banana trees or scented rosebushes. It is a tribute to Vicente’s favourite writers : Cervantes, Dickens, Shakespeare or Honoré de Balzac, whose busts can be found at the entrance and to whom he dedicated several fountains and rotundas. Its main buildings are a small elevated villa with polychromatic pottery which houses a library and a personal movie projector...

Stunning 19th century French Empire, neoclassical/Rococo Revival style Marquetry vitrine or display cabinet, of large proportions!! A real statement piece! Made of a fabulous variety of veneers, including kingwood, satinwood, tulipwood, harewood and walnut with quality classical ormolu mounts. It has ebonized pillars in the Empire style, with walnut and exotic hardwood friezes in the Rococo style. Double glass doors to middle section and single glass doors on either side. The glass on the doors are framed in ormolu banding. Floral Marquetry panels on front and parquetry on the sides. The front central section is a pullout / pull-out drawers with gorgeous walnut frieze panel and original carved walnut knobs. Scrolling pelmet on the top in 3 sections banded in ormolu beading. Scrolling base with cabriolet feet and ormolu mounts on base. Various ormolu mounts, floral mounts, mounts of Baachus and mounts of neoclassical female figures. In 3 sections. with 2 side cabinets and large central section with 3 section pelmet, stunning piece!!! The quality ormolu mounts are marked with the letter “R” and what appears to be “FR 678”. We were originally of the belief that this piece might have been made at the very end of the 19th century, but having regard to the quality of workmanship throughout this piece we are of the opinion that it was most likely made in the third quarter of the 19th century, circa 1870 and by an obviously top quality Parisienne maker with a surname beginning with “R”. It is definitely in the style of David Roentgen who was known for his Rococo/neoclassical styles. David Roentgen, (born Aug. 11, 1743-died Feb. 12, 1807, Wiesbaden, Duchy of Nassau), cabinetmaker to Queen Marie-Antoinette of France; under his direction the family workshop at Neuwied (near Cologne), founded by his father, Abraham Roentgen, became perhaps the most-successful firm of furniture production in the 18th century. After succeeding his father as head of the Neuwied workshop in 1772, Roentgen strove to broaden their clientele, an ambition that brought him first to Hamburg and ultimately to Paris (1774), where in 1779 he was spectacularly successful in selling his finest furniture to King Louis XVI of France for £3,300 to £4,000, an unprecedented sum for the time. Appointed cabinetmaker to the queen, Roentgen was granted admission (1780) as maître-ébéniste (master cabinetmaker) to the trade corporation of Paris cabinetmakers, making it possible for him to keep in Paris a stock of the furniture manufactured at Neuwied. Thus he was able to compete with such great cabinetmakers as Jean-Henri Riesener and Adam Weisweiler, reputedly his former pupil at Neuwied. After his first visit to St. Petersburg, Empress Catherine II the Great bought huge quantities of his furniture; King Frederick William II of Prussia was also his client. When in 1795 the French Revolutionary armies threatened to cross the Rhine, Roentgen evacuated his establishment and moved his stock farther inland. Unfortunately, he lost everything in his Parisian salon and in his Neuwied workshop, both of which were sacked by Republican troops. He was crushed, despite his appointment as court furnisher to the king of Prussia. Although he never succeeded in starting production again, former apprentices of his whom he helped to establish in the German cities of Berlin (David Hacker...

PRESENTING a FABULOUS 19C English Rococo Revival Ecclesiastical Oak Hall Chair. Made in England (Britain) circa 1870 in the Rococo Revival Style from sol...

PRESENTING A STUNNING and RARE 19C Portois & Fix Viennese Cabinet. Made by the famous and highly desirable maker, ‘Portois & Fix’ in Vienna, Austria ...