Writing Desk Mahogany Italy XIX Century - Cupboard Writing Desk

Notes historical bibliographic

This articulated piece of furniture was part of a library furniture attributable to the cabinetmaker Henry Thomas Peters. Of English origin, he moved his business to Genoa in 1817; Gabriele Capello was the cabinetmaker most used by the architect Pelagio Palagi for works at the Savoy court. For this reason his production is characterized by ornamental motifs derived from the "Palagian" taste, while a predilection for the use of mahogany is characteristic of his English training. In this furniture the virtue of the cabinetmaker emerges in the quality of the numerous drawers and pullers he creates and in the skilful use of the mahogany feather with which he perfectly conceals the two drawstring doors. Finally, the carving is the distinctive feature of his production; the pilasters present motifs that are found in his furnishings and which are evidenced in the desk he created for King Carlo Alberto following the instructions of Pelagio Palagi. If it is true that there is no shortage of furniture signed with this type of carving, the piece of furniture with the most points of contact with the one in the description is another desk that Peters made for King Charles Albert, preserved in the Royal Castle of Racconigi. This piece of furniture is larger than ours, with a convex center and some parts in mahogany root in addition to the more usual feather but some solutions are present precisely. Not only the pilasters but the riser, with the central flap door and with a first Vago lock and also the drawers inserted in the cornice under the top with the sliding top, leave no doubt about the same authorship of the two pieces of furniture. Reference bibliography: - Noemi Gabrielli, Racconigi, San Paolo Banking Institute of Turin, Turin, 1972; - Roberto Antonetto, Gabriele Capello “Moncalvo” Cabinetmaker to two kings; Umberto Allemandi & C., 2004; - Antonella Rathscüler, Henry Thomas Peters and the furniture industry in the nineteenth century, Il canneto editore, Genoa, 2014.

Age: 19th Century / 1801 - 1900

19th Century / 1801 - 1900

Main essence: Sessile Oak

Under the name of oak or oak various types of woods derived from plants of the genus quercus are grouped. They are always resistant, hard and compact woods. Oak is lighter than oak, both are used for more rustic furniture or for the interiors of French and English antique furniture. In other processes it was gradually replaced by the advent of exotic woods considered more valuable since the 18th century.

Material: Mahogany Feather Banded Veneer