US$19,749.50 This is an important antique Dutch marquetry cylinder bureau bookcase, circa 1800 in date. It has been made from the finest mahogany with fabulous floral marquetry decoration of various exotic veneers and elegant ormolu handles and mounts. The top has two glazed doors which open to reveal two adjustable shelves and the base has three oak lined deep drawers, very useful for storage. The cylinder fall is raised as the writing surface is pulled out, for use as a desk, and the interior has small drawers, a small cupboard and secret compartments for storing pens, papers, etc. It has an inset green leather writing surface with blind tooling. There is a pair of pull out candle slides above the fall, so that you can work by candlelight! It stands on its beautiful and original lion's paw feet. It is a very decorative and stunning piece which would look amazing anywhere placed. Condition: In excellent condition having been beautifully restored in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 241.5 x Width 145 x Depth 72 Dimensions in inches: Height 7 feet, 11 inches x Width 4 feet, 9 inches x Depth 2 feet, 4 inches Mahogany is probably one of the largest ‘families’ of hardwood, having many different varieties within its own species. Mahogany has been used for centuries in ship building, house building, furniture making etc and is the core structure of just about every 19th century vanity box, dressing case or jewellery box. It became more of a Victorian trend to dress Mahogany with these decorative veneers, such as Rosewood, Kingwood, Burr Walnut and Coromandel, so that the actual Mahogany was almost hidden from view. Mahogany itself is a rich reddish brown wood that can range from being plain in appearance to something that...