203 - Desk. Austria, ca. 1840.

Desk. Austria, ca. 1840. Mahogany wood, leather top. In good overall condition, consistent with its age. Measurements: 125 x 98 x 57 cm. Provenance: Estate of Ramon Martí Alsina and Ricard Martí Aguiló. Artistic and heritage collection originating in the legacy of Catalan painters Ramon Martí Alsina (1826–1894), a seminal figure of 19th-century Catalan Realism, and his son Ricard Martí Aguiló (1857–1935). Passed down and enriched across successive generations, the collection brings together works from the original holdings of both artists alongside acquisitions made by their descendants. Dedicated to preserving and recovering the family legacy, the descendants actively reacquired works by the painters as they entered the market, progressively expanding the collection to encompass paintings, sculptures, archaeological artifacts, and other items of artistic and historical significance. This mid-19th-century Austrian writing desk combines the visual richness of mahogany with a strikingly light structure and elaborate ornamental work. The writing surface features a green leather cover with a gold border and is accompanied by four drawers, while the upper section is organized by a shelf supported by small Solomonic posts and a large panel of interlaced floral motifs. The spiral-turned legs, joined by an equally turned central crossbar and resting on scalloped feet, enhance the piece’s decorative character. Stylistically, it bridges the gap between the late Biedermeier period and the early Central European historicist movements, a time when the structural simplicity of previous decades began to be enriched with openwork, turned profiles, and ornamentation inspired by the past.