Victorian Flame Mahogany Partner Pedestal Desk, 19th Century

This is a beautiful antique late Victorian flame mahogany partners pedestal desk, circa 1880 in date. Measures: 4ft. The rectangular top features a stunning inset green and gold tooled leather writing surface and a crossbanded moulded edge. Each side features two frieze drawers, one side has three further drawers in each pedestal, the other side has a cupboard in each pedestal, the doors on this side are modelled with three dummy drawers. The drawers are all oak lined and the pedestals are raised on plinth bases with brass castors underneath. Complete with original brass locks and keys. Instill the elegance of a bygone era to a special place in your home with this fabulous antique partners pedestal desk. The item is not CITES pursuant. Condition: In excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned, polished, waxed and releathered in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 79 x width 123 x depth 96 Dimensions in inches: Height 2 foot, 7 inches x width 4 foot x depth 3 foot, 2 inches Mahogany is probably one of the largest ‘families’ of hardwood, having many different varieties within its own species. Mahogany has been used for centuries in ship building, house building, furniture making etc and is the core structure of just about every 19th century vanity box, dressing case or jewellery box. It became more of a Victorian trend to dress Mahogany with these decorative veneers, such as Rosewood, Kingwood, Burr Walnut and Coromandel, so that the actual Mahogany was almost hidden from view. Mahogany itself is a rich reddish brown wood that can range from being plain in appearance to something that is so vibrant, figured and almost three dimensional in effect. Although mahogany was most often used in its solid form, it also provided some beautifully figured varieties of veneer like ‘Flame’ Mahogany and ‘Fiddleback’ Mahogany (named after its preferred use in the manufacture of fine musical instruments). Cuban mahogany was so sought after, that by the late 1850's, this particular variety became all but extinct.