True Antique Mahogany Slant-front Desk Bureau

A very fine mahogany bureau whose style and construction indicate c.1820 or earlier (it has earlier style turned feet instead of bracket feet). Overall it is 42.5”w x 47.0”h x 20.5”d. The sides are single large mahogany boards 20.5” x 37.0” neatly dovetailed into the top. The drawer bottoms are also single large boards 19” x 40” , hand-sawn and planed. The back is made of just two single large boards 18” x 42” (one has split between the locations of its opposite square nails) Over its 200 years it has had some minor repairs to the veneers on the front frame. The finish has a lovely warm patina and needs nothing. It would be beautiful and practical as a dresser in a bedroom, or as a desk in a study or livingroom or hallway. History -- from a prominent old New Jersey political family including 2 governors. Recent newspaper article on this desk by a well-known antiques appraiser/columnist: "This elegant desk is the work of a skilled, early cabinetmaker, and could be American. The slant front came into common use in North America, around 1725 and was carried through into the middle 1800s. With the shape of the turned foot, I'd date this piece more closely to 1820. Mahogany is always an asset ... and it's well-suited to use with modern technology, such as laptops and tablets. Normally this would be valued around the $1,500 mark, but if your provenance leads to a significant early Yankee, American buyers might add a grand or more instantly.” From another knowledgeable antiques expert, January 2014: “The value of this item should maintain and, while I know nothing about whether you are anxious to sell the item, I would have thought a price about three times that was right, based not so much on provenance but on replacement value. Properly provenanced and you can put another nought on it.” If you would like a true antique, well-proportioned and rare, but still usable in today’s world, then this is the one.

I have another very similar one that is not quite so rare. $900. Has bracket feet and brass pulls. Please see last 2 images.