£2,000 - £3,000
A DUTCH WALNUT, MARQUETRY AND CARVED BUREAU, DATED '1687', 19TH C the stepped serpentine interior with well and secret compartment, the sides also decorated, bronze rococo handles, 114cm h; 59 x 125cm
Provenance: Given by the Soviet Ambassador to the United Kingdom to his Mayfair barber as a memento to the friendship arising from the hairdresser's regular visits to the Embassy during World War Two, on the former's recall to Moscow in either 1943 or 1946 (presumably either Ivan Mikhaylovich Mayskiy or Fyedor Tarasovich Guser); thence by descent to the present vendor.
A particularly good example, note the quality of the marquetry and details such as the tulips, the sides with several shrinkage cracks. Small let in repair to the centre of the front above the top drawer. Small restoration carried out for the present vendor by Revill Bros of Retford Nottinghamshire in 1981, copy invoice available
Fees apply to the hammer price:
Room and Absentee Bids:
24% inc VAT*
Online and Autobids:
27.6% inc VAT*
