Item 3229 Flamboyant Gothic Desk Dimensions Width 57 Height 31½ Depth 32 (in inches) Wood Solid walnut Date Circa 1890 Country France Description This solid walnut desk offers a feast of Gothic design in a practical and useful piece of furniture.  Based on tracery or fenestrage with its roots in the flamboyant style of Gothic architectural design, this desk is a feast for the eyes while offering the convenience and practicality of a large horizontal surface and two spacious drawers.  Unlike most pieces of furniture made in 19th century France at the height of the Gothic Revival movement, this desk is light in color -- displaying the richness and depth of the walnut rather than stained darkly and obscuring the beauty of the wood.  Its overall structure is that of a classic table-bureau from the 17th century overlaid with Gothic design elements.  The leather top on the desk is original and so we have not replaced it, even though it has discolorations, in order to preserve the value of the piece. Reference Boccador, Jacqueline, Le Mobilier Français du Moyen Age à la Renaissance, Editions d'Art Monelle Hayot (Saint-Just-en-Chaussée, 1988); Boussel, Patrice, Les Styles du Moyen Age à Louis XIV  (Baschet et Cie, Paris, 1979); Rousseau, Francis, Le Grand Livre des Meubles (Copyright Studio, Paris, 1999) Uses This desk is ideal for use in a home office and would fit well in a library setting, even doubling as a library table.