Louis XVI Secretary, 1795

Westphalia, walnut, etc.
Classicism around 1795.

Dimensions: H x W x D: 118 x 116 x 62 cm.

Beautiful writing furniture created in German classicism around 1795. The quality and design are typical of the workshop of the court painter and carpenter Philipp Ferdinand Ludwig Bartscher, who from 1792-1806 a “Meubelfabrik” in Rietberg/Westphalia.

Standing, very harmoniously proportioned on pointed legs and veneered in walnut. The drawers below are manufactured without visible trusses and, as it was so typical, marketed for Bartscher. The frame of the large field of the lower drawers is decorated with corner leaves. We see a big flower vase in the middle. A garland adorns the upper drawer of the substructure.

The secretary flap has a cylindrical shape and thus helped the furniture type to its names. It is framed in the same way as the two lower pencils. In the middle we see a flower branch in the round medallion.
There are three small drawers in series above the flap.

By pulling out the work surface, the secretary flap opens automatically and gives a view of a simple interior with four drawers and four open compartments.

Useful information:
Philipp Ferdinand Ludwig Bartscher developed an unmistakable style with his pieces of furniture that speaks the clear language of the fine Louis XVI and thus differs from most furniture from the rather rural region. He enjoyed great reputation with the Westphalian nobility and so some Bartscher furniture still stands in the castles and museums in the region, including in the Rheda Castle, at Hülshoff Castle and in the Museum of Art and Cultural History of the City of Dortmund.
Bartscher’s customers included the Prince -Bishop of Corvey, Johann Carl Theodor von Brabeck and the Auxiliary Bishop of Osnabrück, Carl Clemens von Gruben. [Source: Stefan Baumeier – Fine Furniture from Westphalia]

Condition:
Wonderfully processed condition. Very high quality basic substance of the wood and the construction. The last photo shows the secretary in the unrestored state. Please write to me for more photos in find.

You can find some comparison objects in the specialist literature:
Stefan Baumeier – Fine furniture from Westphalia pp. 160-168.