Description
A handsome 19th-century English portable writing desk or writing slope, constructed in beautifully figured mahogany and dating from the early Victorian period.
Designed to provide its owner with a portable office, the rectangular mahogany case is reinforced with inset brass corner mounts and fitted with a shaped brass escutcheon and vacant shield cartouche.
Opening and folding out to form a sloping writing desk, the fitted interior retains its black writing surfaces with elegant gilt-tooled foliate borders. Beyond are fitted compartments originally intended for pens, stationery and glass inkwells, while the hinged writing panels provide additional storage for papers and correspondence beneath.
The box retains a key and has a wonderful warm colour and gently timeworn character, with the scratches, knocks and wear accumulated during approximately 180 years of use.
The writing surface shows considerable age-related wear, particularly along the central fold, and the original inkwells are no longer present. We have deliberately left these elements unrestored, preserving the character and integrity of this wonderfully evocative piece.
A beautiful decorative antique in its own right, but also a fascinating survivor from an era when letters, stationery and writing equipment travelled with their owner.
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