A late Victorian inlaid satinwood, tulipwood and fruitwood marquetry kidney desk late 19th/early 20th century

the central frieze drawer opening to a leather-lined writing slide and flanked by two frieze drawers, each pedestal fitted with four drawers, the reverse fitted with a pair of doors opening to a cupboard, veneered on all sides, on casters.

Sold in these rooms, November 21, 1981, lot 344

Overall good condition; the leather lining replaced to the top; some chips and losses to the ebonized stringing top; the underside of each of the front drawers with a Roman numeral corresponding to its corresponding drawer slot; the back kneehole panel with a scuff to the right side; some scuffs to the plinth within the knee hole; small chips and losses to the ebonized stringing around the drawers; small losses to the veneer to the front left corner of the plinth; some sun fading to the veneers of the back right side; small chips to veneer of the bottom edge; the plinth with some infilling, scuffs and bruises; overall with some old marks and scratches.
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.

Derived from a design dated October 11, 1792 for 'A Kidney Table,...for reading and writing...: at each end are a number of small drawers' from Thomas Sheraton's The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Drawing-Book, 1793, pl. 58, the form of the present lot was very popular during the 19th century and examples were produced by the major furniture-making firms, including Gillows, C. Hindley and Sons and Holland & Sons. The earliest design for a kidney-shaped desk is found in the Gillow Estimate Sketch Books, dated 1792.  A design for 'An oak pedestal and kidney table' is found in the Gillows' Estimate Sketch Books, dated 1840; Susan E. Stuart, Gillows of Lancaster and London 1730-1840, 2008, Woodbridge: Antique Collectors' Club, vol. I, pp. 338-9, notes that 'by the mid-nineteenth century, kidney tables of this design had become one of the Gillow firm's best known models'.  R.W. Symonds and B.B. Whineray, Victorian Furniture, 1965, illustrate a similar kidney-shaped desk supplied by Holland & Sons to Mr. Thornton in 1868, p. 196, fig. 221.