US$3,146.54 This is a beautiful antique Edwardian, mahogany and rosewood inlaid writing table, circa 1900 in date. The top is fitted with a leather writing surface with gold tooled decoration and it has its original brass handles and brass and porcelain castors. There is a useful central drawer and the top has a compartment with a brass gallery that opens to reveal storage for letters, stamps, pens,etc. The inlaid marquetry was masterfully executed by a true craftsman, the crossbanded decoration is exquisite and the French Polish serves to highlight these features. Condition: In excellent condition having been fully restored in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 85 x Width 92 x Depth 47 Dimensions in inches: Height 2 feet, 9 inches x Width 3 feet, 0 inches x Depth 1 foot, 6 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 is so vibrant, figured and almost three dimensional in effect. Although Mahogany was most often used in its solid form, it also provided some beautifully figured varieties of veneer like ‘Flame’ Mahogany and ‘Fiddleback’ Mahogany (named after its preferred use in the manufacture of fine musical instruments). Cuban Mahogany was so sought after, that by the late 1850′s, this particular variety...