Welcome to another video, this time showcasing a very unusual secretary desk from a critical and transitional period in the decorative arts, the history of antique furniture. This desk reveals the importance of looking beyond surface blemishes indivisible from the age of these pieces, and it also shows us how certain pieces possess a depth of quality and beauty that is sometimes subtle. This model of secretary at first ressembles the more usual fine model of the early Louis-Philippe period, but quickly one notices that it is one of the finer, higher tier domestic models made during the time. The flame mahogany of the exterior is cracked and dirty, but the rounded corners reveal an extraordinary overall design, finished with a special color of elaborately beveled marble. The inside of the desk is furthermore surprising.

The key when collecting period furniture, perhaps most forms of art, is to look past how something may at first appear, into the inherent reality of the object. For those of us familiar with refinishing and basic maintenance restorations, this piece appears most interesting. The untrained eye might, however, write it off as a battered old piece. A week with a qualified restorer will bring this piece back to a near original state of conservation and these types of restorations are essential for such pieces to traverse so much time.

Thank you for watching,

Cole Myers
Myers & Monroe, LLC

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