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Antique Victorian Gonçalo Alves & Marquetry Secretaire Bookcase 19th C

Antique Victorian Gonçalo Alves & Marquetry Secretaire Bookcase  19th C | Ref. no. A2812 | Regent Antiques
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  • Antique Victorian Gonçalo Alves & Marquetry Secretaire Bookcase  19th C | Ref. no. A2812 | Regent Antiques
  • Antique Victorian Gonçalo Alves & Marquetry Secretaire Bookcase  19th C | Ref. no. A2812 | Regent Antiques
  • Antique Victorian Gonçalo Alves & Marquetry Secretaire Bookcase  19th C | Ref. no. A2812 | Regent Antiques
  • Antique Victorian Gonçalo Alves & Marquetry Secretaire Bookcase  19th C | Ref. no. A2812 | Regent Antiques
  • Antique Victorian Gonçalo Alves & Marquetry Secretaire Bookcase  19th C | Ref. no. A2812 | Regent Antiques
  • Antique Victorian Gonçalo Alves & Marquetry Secretaire Bookcase  19th C | Ref. no. A2812 | Regent Antiques
  • Antique Victorian Gonçalo Alves & Marquetry Secretaire Bookcase  19th C | Ref. no. A2812 | Regent Antiques
  • Antique Victorian Gonçalo Alves & Marquetry Secretaire Bookcase  19th C | Ref. no. A2812 | Regent Antiques
  • Antique Victorian Gonçalo Alves & Marquetry Secretaire Bookcase  19th C | Ref. no. A2812 | Regent Antiques
  • Antique Victorian Gonçalo Alves & Marquetry Secretaire Bookcase  19th C | Ref. no. A2812 | Regent Antiques
  • Antique Victorian Gonçalo Alves & Marquetry Secretaire Bookcase  19th C | Ref. no. A2812 | Regent Antiques
  • Antique Victorian Gonçalo Alves & Marquetry Secretaire Bookcase  19th C | Ref. no. A2812 | Regent Antiques
  • Antique Victorian Gonçalo Alves & Marquetry Secretaire Bookcase  19th C | Ref. no. A2812 | Regent Antiques
  • Antique Victorian Gonçalo Alves & Marquetry Secretaire Bookcase  19th C | Ref. no. A2812 | Regent Antiques
  • Antique Victorian Gonçalo Alves & Marquetry Secretaire Bookcase  19th C | Ref. no. A2812 | Regent Antiques
  • Antique Victorian Gonçalo Alves & Marquetry Secretaire Bookcase  19th C | Ref. no. A2812 | Regent Antiques
  • Antique Victorian Gonçalo Alves & Marquetry Secretaire Bookcase  19th C | Ref. no. A2812 | Regent Antiques
  • Antique Victorian Gonçalo Alves & Marquetry Secretaire Bookcase  19th C | Ref. no. A2812 | Regent Antiques
  • Antique Victorian Gonçalo Alves & Marquetry Secretaire Bookcase  19th C | Ref. no. A2812 | Regent Antiques
  • Antique Victorian Gonçalo Alves & Marquetry Secretaire Bookcase  19th C | Ref. no. A2812 | Regent Antiques
  • Antique Victorian Gonçalo Alves & Marquetry Secretaire Bookcase  19th C | Ref. no. A2812 | Regent Antiques
  • Antique Victorian Gonçalo Alves & Marquetry Secretaire Bookcase  19th C | Ref. no. A2812 | Regent Antiques
  • Antique Victorian Gonçalo Alves & Marquetry Secretaire Bookcase  19th C | Ref. no. A2812 | Regent Antiques
  • Antique Victorian Gonçalo Alves & Marquetry Secretaire Bookcase  19th C | Ref. no. A2812 | Regent Antiques
  • Antique Victorian Gonçalo Alves & Marquetry Secretaire Bookcase  19th C | Ref. no. A2812 | Regent Antiques
  • Antique Victorian Gonçalo Alves & Marquetry Secretaire Bookcase  19th C | Ref. no. A2812 | Regent Antiques
Ref: A2812
Price: £10,500.00
This is a beautiful antique English Victorian Gonçalo Alves and marquetry secretaire bookcase, Circa 1880 in date.  It features...
This is a beautiful antique English Victorian Gonçalo Alves and marquetry secretaire bookcase, Circa 1880 in date. 

It features  satinwood stringing and is decorated with a geometric design of scrolls, husks and flowerheads. The upper part has a decorative pierced swan neck broken pediment cornice with acanthus scroll carving centred by an urn finial, the frieze with inlaid decoration, the two astragal glazed doors enclose an interior fitted with adjustable shelves.

The lower part with a pull out secretaire drawer enclosing a fitted interior with six small drawers and pigeon holes, fitted with the original inset leather writing surface, with wonderful marquetry decoration over a pair of panelled doors opening to a cupboard.

The whole with marquetry urns, ribbon tied scrolling foliage, husks, masks and cornucopia on a Gonçalo Alves  ground, and raised o a plinth base.

Complete with working locks and keys.

Condition:

In excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned  and waxed in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation.



Dimensions in cm:

Height 267 cm x Width 127 cm x Depth 53 cm

Dimensions in inches:

Height 8 foot, 9 inches x Width 4 foot, 2 inches x Depth 1 foot, 9 inches

Our reference: A2812

Please feel free to email or call us (+44 20 8809 9605) to arrange a viewing in our North London warehouse.

Gonçalo Alves is a hardwood (from the Portuguese name, Gonçalo Alves). It is sometimes referred to as tigerwood — a name that underscore the wood’s often dramatic, contrasting color scheme. 

While the sapwood is very light in color, the heartwood is a sombre brown, with dark streaks that give it a unique look. The wood’s color deepens with exposure and age and even the plainer-looking wood has a natural luster.

Two species are usually listed as sources for gonçalo alves: Astronium fraxinifolium and Astronium graveolens, although other species in the genus may yield similar wood; the amount of striping that is present may vary. 

In the high tropical forests of Central and South America, well-drained soils furnish nutrients for a variety of dense, durable hardwoods sought for maritime use, heavyconstruction, and furniture. The Spanish began harvesting in Latin American forests in the early 1500s to provide timber for boatbuilding and repair. By the early 1900s, however, steel ships had replaced wooden ones, and the interest in tropical forests by both Europeans and Americans shifted to appearance-grade woods for furniture.

Although history fails to provide us with a shopping list of species from either harvest period, it's probable that the wood we know today as goncalo alves has always been sought. That's because goncalo alves, considered one of the most beautiful of tropical woods, has a tough reputation, too. Strong and durable, it's used for construction in its homeland and secondarily for fine furniture. Woodworkers elsewhere treasure the wood for decorative items and veneer accents.
  

Marquetry
is decorative artistry where pieces of material of different colours are inserted into surface wood veneer to form intricate patterns such as scrolls or flowers.

The technique of veneered marquetry had its inspiration in 16th century Florence. Marquetry elaborated upon Florentine techniques of inlaying solid marble slabs with designs formed of fitted marbles, jaspers and semi-precious stones. This work, called opere di commessi, has medieval parallels in Central Italian "Cosmati"-work of inlaid marble floors, altars and columns. The technique is known in English as pietra dura, for the "hardstones" used: onyx, jasper, cornelian, lapis lazuli and colored marbles. In Florence, the Chapel of the Medici at San Lorenzo is completely covered in a colored marble facing using this demanding jig-sawn technique.

Techniques of wood marquetry were developed in Antwerp and other Flemish centers of luxury cabinet-making during the early 16th century. The craft was imported full-blown to France after the mid-seventeenth century, to create furniture of unprecedented luxury being made at the royal manufactory of the Gobelins, charged with providing furnishings to decorate Versailles and the other royal residences of Louis XIV. Early masters of French marquetry were the Fleming Pierre Golle and his son-in-law, André-Charles Boulle, who founded a dynasty of royal and Parisian cabinet-makers (ébénistes) and gave his name to a technique of marquetry employing brass with pewter in arabesque or intricately foliate designs.
  

Dimensions in cm:

Height 267 cm x Width 127 cm x Depth 53 cm

Dimensions in inches:

Height 8 foot, 9 inches x Width 4 foot, 2 inches x Depth 1 foot, 9 inches

Shipping:

We ship worldwide and deliver to Mainland UK addresses free of charge.

A shipping cost to all other destinations must be requested prior to purchase.

UK shipping times are typically 3-5 business days.

Buyers are fully responsible for any customs duties or local taxes that may be incurred on items sent outside of the United Kingdom, and we are not responsible for any delays in shipping or in the customs procedures of any jurisdiction, which are completely beyond our control.

To request a shipping quote for the items in your cart, please click HERE.

Delivery and return policy:

We require that someone be home on the agreed delivery day if applicable, otherwise a redelivery fee will apply.

In accordance with Distance Selling Regulations, we offer a 14-day money back guarantee if you are not satisfied with the item.

The item must be returned in its original packaging and condition.

Unless the item is not as described in a material way, the buyer is responsible for return shipping expenses.

Buyers are fully responsible for any customs duties or local taxes that may be incurred on items sent outside of the United Kingdom, and we are not responsible for any delays in shipping or in the customs procedures of any jurisdiction, which are completely beyond our control.

Please be advised that claims for damage with certain carriers can sometimes take several months to resolve, and we would be grateful for your patience and cooperation throughout the process.

Returns will be processed and refunds issued within 2-3 business days of receipt.

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