BRUCE J. TALBERT (1838-1881) FOR GILLOW & CO. AESTHETIC MOVEMENT FREESTANDING DESK, CIRCA 1875 oak, with inset original tooled leather skiver and brass hinges and fittings.

(152cm wide, 121cm high, 81cm deep)

Literature: Talbert B.J. Fashionable Furniture, pub. The Cabinet Maker and Art Furnisher, 1881, where a line drawing of this desk is illustrated. Note: Bruce Talbert was a leading interior designer from the late 1860s until his death in 1881. He published an influential work the Gothic Forms Applied to Furniture, Metal Work and Decoration for Domestic Purposes in 1868. He was acclaimed for the simplicity of his designs which have an underlying geometric structure. His furniture places greater emphasis on horizontal lines than on soaring verticals. Whilst his decorative features are highly complex, they are always harmoniously contained within the overall form of the piece as can be seen in this present lot.