A Queen Anne inlaid burr and figured walnut desk-and-bookcase circa 1710

in three sections: the upper section fitted with a pair of mirrored doors opening to a central prospect door flanked by an arrangement of pigeonholes, folio slides and small drawers and opening to a bank of four drawers fitted within a case which slides forward; the middle section fitted with a slant front opening to an arrangement of pigeonholes and small drawers before a leather-lined writing surface all above a pair of frieze drawers; the lower section fitted with three long graduated drawers raised on bracket feet.

Sotheby's New York, October 18, 1997, lot 155

Overall good restored condition; the upper section with replaced mirror plates finials later; leather-lining to lower section replaced; the handles and escutcheons to the lower section are replaced and with subsequent small patches where previous hardware was affixed; some restorations to feet; overall with some minor nicks and wear to extremities; nice color overall and stable.
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.

The form of this desk and bookcase illustrates the pinnacle of a design which had gradually evolved during the late 17th/early 18th century from the early form of a moveable desk in the form of a box with a rising sloping lid which was used as a book or paper rest. This form was described in 1584 as 'a little holowe desk lyk a coffer, whereupon men do write,' and was commonly fashioned in oak, which was occasionally painted, covered in leather or carved.  In the late 1670s this form is found on a fixed stand, the hinges on the slope being reversed to enable the inner 'slope' to be used as a writing surface, which was supported on extending lopers.  By the late 1690s this form of desk was fitted below with drawers, and by the early 1700s the first 'desks-and-bookcases' appeared.  As can be seen in the present piece, which is constructed in three distinctive parts, one can still clearly discern the origins of the design and although the central desk no longer extends over the chest base, it is still separated by a large molding. As noted by Dr. Adam Bowett, English Furniture 1660-1714 From Charles II to Queen Anne, Woodbridge: Antique Collectors' Club, 2002, Chapter Seven, 'Case Furniture 1689-1714,' pp. 221-223, fig. 7:53, separating a carcase into three has no obvious merit other than to allow a cabinet shop to utilize its workmen more efficiently, different skills being required in the making of the carcase and drawers and the interior fitments. This form of construction did, however, continue into the 1730s.

The actual description 'desk-and-bookcase' appears to be first recorded in the accounts of the Royal cabinet-maker Gerrit Jensen (fl.1680-d.1715) who supplied several for the Royal Household from 1710 (Bowett, op. cit.), and another described as 'a walnut writing desk, the top for books and patons and glass in the doors asked' for the 5th Earl of Salisbury, Hatfield House.  Another maker of this form of desk was the London cabinet-maker John Gumley (1691-1727) who advertised in Richard Steele's Lover on April 24 1714 that he 'hath taken for a Ware-house, and furnished all the upper Part of the New Exchange in the Strand' continuing with an extensive list of his stock including 'Desks and Bookcases.' In 1714 he supplied one of these in walnut to James 1^st Duke of Montrose for the sum of £11.