Featured Remediating weathering on a 19th century Coromandel writing slope

Thanks again @808 raver for that background and the links! I have visited the Daniel Lucian pages often, some very helpful info there (and great photos). So coromandel it is!

The elderly experienced boulle restorer mentioned earlier told me a story that many British enterprises and forays across the world in centuries past were not so much about tea and spices as they were about locating and bringing back exotic woods to supply the demand at home

 

Here is one of the only 2 coromandel boxes I own out of around 120 antique boxes, I wish it were more

Yes it was the place where wood spoke for itself, often you will hear people say English furniture is plain and boring but look a little closer and you will find craftsmanship better than the rest of the world if it was made in London for the rich, I have some stunning pieces, you do need to dig deep when they come up but it's worth every penny.

 

Both of my coromandel boxes (I've only got 2 feel sorry for me) are pictured on the first page of this thread
https://www.antiquers.com/threads/mystery-box.83746/

 

Gorgeous boxes! I second that statement on English craftsmanship - I am astounded at how most of the finer examples I've seen look like they were crafted last week when they are actually 150+ years old - perfectly flush brass fittings, crackless drawers that slide in and out with ease, etc etc.

 

I think English furniture reflects the period, in the 19th c England had the richest people and quite poor people. Take that vanity box, it would have cost £15,000 in today's money when it was new, your writing slope would have been £6-8000, today no matter how much you have these can't be made because it's all gone.

 

Agree with those you say proceed with caution . . 'less is more' when addressing wood, it is way to easy to destroy the honest age of a piece.
I'm always impressed with 19th c. French metal work in terms of design and quality. You have a pretty item there.

 

All, I'm happy to report success with the wood, just using a linseed-based moisturizer with some careful rubbing followed by a couple coats of light wax. But the big surprise to me was the brass - little did I know that under several dozen years of tarnish lay some of the finest brass engraving I've ever come across. The boulle conservator working on the other slope of mine recommended using Cape Cod metal-polishing cloths for the work, something that would limit contact with the wood surface; I'm not completely done with the polishing, with so very many fine lines (the work may never be "done"), but the current look is still quite stunning, almost like fine jewelry.

Regarding the tiny screws holding the brass in place - I counted 30, a little less than 1.5mm in diameter, with only 1 missing (they are so tiny that you hardly notice).

 

They literally do not make them like that any more.

 

It looks fantastic, I have just learnt something, I would have never thought to use a jewelers rouge type of cloth to clean brass, I hope the white bloom doesn't return when the linseed dries. Keep going on the brass, I've seen these really polished and the look magnificent, great job so far.

 

spectacular !!!!!!

 

A wee bit of history on the maker/seller of the box: https://markgoodger.co.uk/maker/ta-simpson-co-thomas-simpson/