Gervais-Maximilien-Eugène Durand 1839 - 1920 A LOUIS XV STYLE GILT BRONZE MOUNTED MAHOGANY AND FISHSCALE PARQUETRY L'OEIL DE VERMEIL BUREAU À CYLINDRE Paris, circa 1875

the roll top opening to a sliding gilt tooled dark brown leather writing surface beneath a composition of eight small drawers and four faux drawers, the frieze fitted with three drawers, the carcass stamped G. DURAND to the underside.

Formerly from the Forsyth and Marian Haven Wickes collection
Acquired by the present owner from the above

Overall in good condition with the usual minor scratches, dents and nicks to veneers and carcass consistent with age and use. Tarnishing to gilt-bronze in places. The leather displays the usual scratches and stains due to age and use.
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 similar bureau à cylindre sold Christie's New York, October 22, 2010, lot 169 for $ 21, 250.

Durand was born in Paris on 30th July 1839 and began work in 1870 at 12 rue de La Cerisaie. He later moved to the more fashionable rue St. Antoine where most of the prestigious cabinet makers of the time settled their worshops. He was the first of three generations of highly sucessful cabinet makers, exhibiting widely at the International Exhibitions. At the 1889 Exhibition in Paris, he was commended as, "un ébéniste aussi habile que modeste, qui expose pour la premième fois des meubles de premier ordre, dont il est à la fois le dessinateur et l'exécutant; il marche sur la voie tracée par les maîtres tels que Beurdeley et Dasson."

Forsyth Wickes bequeathed his collection of nearly 900 objects to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in 1965. According to Perry T. Rathbone, a former director of the Boston Museum, "Forsyth Wickes believed in making domestic use of the beautiful objects he had acquired." 
Having spent most of his life in Paris, Wickes was honored with the title of Grand Officer in the French Legion of Honor in 1962. This title was given in recognition of his service to France during the first and second world wars, as well as his donations to several important French museums.