18th Century, Louis XIV Carved Walnut Wood Drop-leaf Cabinet

18th Century, Louis XIV Carved Walnut Wood Drop-leaf Cabinet

This elegant drop-leaf cabinet was made in the early eighteenth century in walnut wood finely carved with rocaille motifs. It has a particular patina of the carvings, slightly darker and brighter, which creates an effect similar to that of bronze.
The drop-leaf cabinet is a piece of furniture composed of two parts, one lower and one upper. The lower part has two drawers decorated with carved leaves and beautiful vents of the locks in gilded and chiseled bronze. Above them there is a refined and particular drawer for documents, which can be opened through the sculpture with curls and “ramage” that decorates the front. The upper part consists instead of an opening compartment equipped with a small tipping door (“ribalta”) that, rotating on the pins, can be lowered and raised as needed. When it is open it provides a comfortable writing surface and reveals a series of six small drawers in which to store study material and small personal items. Behind the drawers is a series of secrets. It is also very detailed inside, with the front of the drawers carved and depicting landscapes, natural elements such as plants, flowers and a bee, and sea views with sailboats.
The cabinet rests on sinuous legs with a slightly curved and wavy shape, also sculpted with ramage and phytomorphic and rocaille decorations. The inner part of the leg has been reinforced by the application of an iron support that follows the movement and the profile. The processing of this support, of difficult technical realization, was carried out in a meticulous and masterful way.
The drop-leaf cabinet are very practical and elegant desk models, which have always had a wide diffusion and are still very sought after today. This flap can also be placed in a contemporary house. It is ideal to create a private corner, perfect inside a professional studio or anywhere else, from the entrance to the living room, from the attic to the bedroom, giving the entire environment its timeless beauty.