Desk in walnut

Antique desk restored solid walnut completely original craftsmanship Period: Nineteenth Century Style: Neoclassical Provenance: Province of Salerno, southern Italy Description Classic desk in solid walnut center. Decorated on both sides of the seat with shields in light wood inlaid within the seven panels that define the geometry. Elegant and sober line, typical of the style, it has abundant dimensions that increase its aesthetic impact. From a functional point of view, the considerable dimensions of the top are exploited to the maximum in the dimensions of the very capacious drawers. There is a further extractable hidden compartment that can be accessed only by completely removing the last drawer; This compartment was reserved for the most important documents. There is also a hidden writing desk above the central drawer. From a structural and constructive point of view, the desk has been made entirely of solid walnut also for the structural elements except for the drawer guides which due to their function are subject to wear in solid wood chestnut more resistant than walnut. The drawers are in poplar, lighter wood on the uprights, instead the chestnut has been used for the funds. The details have been well cared for, there are chestnut panels that interpose between a drawer and the other isolating the individual drawers between them and those more external from the surrounding environment. The storage conditions of the desk were not very good and oriented the restoration towards a very conservative solution of the current condition of the object. Restoration The desk was completely covered with a gray enamel that had been used as a rough solution to cover the gaps in the wood and give a visual compactness to the desk. Once this enamel cover has been removed, the volumes of the desk have resurfaced but also the holes in the woodworm attacks and various wood gaps due to wear and past carpentry. The past interventions made with wood different from the original have been completely removed and all the missing and / or worn parts with antique wood similar to the original have been rebuilt. The structural condition of the piece of furniture was not compromised, however, with reconstruction of the intramections between the drawers with antique wood. We then proceeded to the complete anti-worm treatment to remove any traces of wood parasites that, in truth, however, were not present since the wood is very old and no longer having the nutrients that these parasites feed on. As for the stuccoing they have been reduced to the minimum necessary trying to fill the gaps with the insertion of antique wood. Where necessary, however, liquid wax was used. As regards the painting and the finish, it has been opted for a lacquered shellac lacquer finish and a wax satin finish. The storage conditions and the current condition of the desk oriented this choice compared to shellac polishing which was the original finish of the desk.

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