A Very Fine and Rare Classical Bone-Mounted and Satinwood Veneered, Carved and Figured Mahogany Cylinder-Front Desk and Bookcase, attributed to Duncan Phyfe, New York circa 1825

The desk-and-bookcase was made for Henry Casimer De Rham, (born 1785 in Brunswick, England, died 1863, New York) and his wife Maria Moore De Rham, of New York. Henry Casimir De Rham served as the Swiss Consul General and was deeply involved in many of the French and Swiss immigrants in New York. Upon his arrival in New York in 1805 he founded a mercantile firm of De Rham, Iselin and Moore with offices at 114 Washington Street. The De Rhams lived at 24 Fifth Avenue, in a home that remained in the family into the twentieth century. Their daughter, Julia, married into the Schmidt family, and it is her printed label that appears on the interior of the desk section. For more information on the De Rham and Schmidt families please see the 1899 book, Smaller New York and Family Reminiscences; De Rham, Schmidt, Bache, Barclay, and Paul Richard. 
Christie's New York, Important American Furniture, Silver, Folk Art, and Decorative Arts, June 22, 1994, sale no. 7924, lot 250;
Bernard & S. Dean Levy, Inc., New York.

Bernard & S. Dean Levy, Inc., In Search of Excellence, eighth gallery catalogue.

Refinished, secondary wood is poplar, fabric later. Provenance: The desk-and-bookcase was made for Henry Casimer De Rham, (born 1785 in Brunswick, England, died 1863, New York) and his wife Maria Moore De Rham, of New York. Henry Casimir De Rham served as the Swiss Consul General and was deeply involved in many of the French and Swiss immigrants in New York. Upon his arrival in New York in 1805 he founded a mercantile firm of De Rham, Iselin and Moore with offices at 114 Washington Street. The De Rhams lived at 24 Fifth Avenue, in a home that remained in the family into the twentieth century. Their daughter, Julia, married into the Schmidt family, and it is her printed label that appears on the interior of the desk section. For more information on the De Rham and Schmidt families please see the 1899 book, Smaller New York and Family Reminiscences; De Rham, Schmidt, Bache, Barclay, and Paul Richard; Christie's New York, Important American Furniture, Silver, Folk Art, and Decorative Arts, June 22, 1994, sale no. 7924, lot 250; Bernard & S. Dean Levy, Inc., New York
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

A nearly identical desk and bookcase is in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and is illustrated in Marvin D. Schwartz and Suzanne Boorsch, 19^th-Century American: Furniture and Other Decorative Arts, An Exhibition in Celebration of the Hundredth Anniversary of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, (New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1970), no. 20.  Another nearly identical piece is in the collection of the White House and is located in the Green Room. (see Betty C. Monkman, The White House: Its Historic Furnishings and First Families, (Washington, D.C.: White House Historical Association in association with Abbeville Press, 2000), p. 107, 267, 310).