[EDITED] My mother found a french bureau de dame thrown out on the street. Is it real, or a fake?

EDIT: I have included pictures down below, in the post itself. If you'd like to see the whole lot, you can go to the imgur album; Don't worry, the link isn't malicious! But for people who'd rather not, I did include the 8 images in the post itself; Please go take a look at it, if you please ^^)

(complete album for the brave: https://imgur.com/a/QCdTOSo)

Hello all! I've made an account here, not only because I'm interested in antiquities, but because my mother has picked up (from the side of a road) an antique french bureau de dame. With some quick searching, I've discovered that it's almost EXACTLY the same as this bureau sold in this listing:
https://www.maryleboneantiques.co.u...h-bureau-de-dame-kingwood-rosewood-marquetry/ (You can always look it up yourself by searching "antique french bureau de dame".)
And, best of all, it has a little price tag on the inside, (with "bureau" curiously misspelled as "beaureau"; But then again, I don't know how to spell it either.) claiming to have been sold from the Antiques Exchange in London, for a hefty price of 2,900 GBP (roughly $3,780 USD)! Wow!

However, upon close examination, the bureau we have seems to be a bit sloppily made. The metal works seem as if they were made by hand, a bit "squished" and sometimes tilted or skewed, if you get what I mean. I'll include some pictures down there.

(If you look closely at the metal bit, you can see that it's attached with tiny nails)

https://imgur.com/5ZRVHZp

The screws in the hinge are also quite flattened (and different from the photos in the listing).

https://imgur.com/YLkgjBG

Most everything seems a bit mismatched and made by hand, which I believe may be a sign of handcrafted parts (seeing as how this is likely from the late 1800s); My mother thinks that it proves that it's a replica. I disagree!

https://imgur.com/eGGNXwH

https://imgur.com/MfKnAbs

Interestingly enough, if you compare the photos in the listing and the one in this post, you can see that the grain of the wood are going the same way! Also, the pieces of wood are not separated between the top part and the legs; The grain goes right on throughout the entire back of the table, top to bottom.

https://imgur.com/NLA9q7p

https://imgur.com/tqYGOfm

So what do you guys think? I think this is legitimate (I mean, there's a price tag on it!), but my mother seems to think it's some sort of elaborate fake.

Also, one more thing.. This was discovered on a roadside in a city in Korea. Makes it very strange, how would it have gotten from France, to England, to Korea?

Is this real, and if so, how much do you guys estimate it would cost?

Thank you for your help! I'm interested to find out anything I can about this.

 

The drawers are rather crude, the leather is puckered. Can you take close ups of the marquetry?

 

Will this do, @antidiem ??? From OP's other post.....reduced...

 

Thanks for your reply! I read it immediately, but taking + sending + downloading +resizing +downloading again + re-uploading 8 pictures takes quite a bit of time, I hope you'll excuse me for that ^^;

I took some more pictures of the leather, and the drawers in question. As you can see, the middle drawer's handle is quite crooked. The leather is in no good shape either, it's generally in quite bad shape (I'd give it a 3 out of 5). But if it's really worth 2,900 pounds..

I also included a picture of the hinge; Notice the quite sloppy hinge and screws. Is this an indication of a fake, or simply that it's handmade, you think?

 

How lovely ! And for free ! Knee jerk reaction its a later reproduction,maybe 1920s ? I cant believe someone just threw it out!

 

"I've discovered that it's almost EXACTLY the same as this bureau sold in this listing"

At first glance, strikingly similar, but as you look at the details, quite a few differences. Whether original or repro, surely worth more than you paid for it. Nice find.

 

Yes, hence "almost". Many details are quite different, which suggests that it's a reproduction or "one of a kind" handmade product... There's no brand, no maker, no wording anywhere on the bureau though, so I have no way of confirming!
And yes, it's worth more than I paid, since I (my mother) found it on the side of the road
It certainly seems to be worth something though!

 

It's in quite bad (ok, not BAD, but definitely not good) condition, some parts are bloated, the woodwork on the front is (almost) cracked.. I do believe someone tried to fix it with some kind of glue and varnish-type material as well. It does seem that the person who threw it away wasn't the original buyer though; who would throw away something that they paid 3,000 pounds for??

My mother is hoping to keep it, so the monetary value doesn't matter much (unless it's a very large amount), but I do hope it's not a reproduction!!

 

Oh no, I misread your comment entirely; I somehow read it to be "leatherwork" and not "marquetry"!
Unfortunately, I really have to go to sleep now; I'll include pictures later! I thank aquitane for being of some help, compared to my none-at-all help.

 

IMO Agree with Johnny, decorator trade reproduction, UK container fodder - could be as late as the 1950's. If I saw this for sale in a store I'd think Italian, but maybe other places made this stuff too.
I don't think it was ever made to try and fake or fool anyone, it is simply a decorator piece.
Drawer construction looks odd (are those butt joints?) and drawer bottoms and hefty drawer fronts have very little in common with an authentic piece.
It has also been re-stained and topcoated here and there albeit a bit haphazardly as the stain has slopped over the leather.

Nice piece for free though!

 

Yes, mid-20th century reproduction. Values have gone way down since that was priced. However, it should still be worth in the very low hundreds.

 

Your mother is right. If you look at real period furniture, it is not mismatched. A very nice and amazing find though.

 

I'd have said Italian right off the bat; that floral wooden inlay shows up on all sorts of Italian pieces, but I've never seen it on French. It seems to be 1950s or later, and for free it's a steal! There are places here where you'd see Italian imports going for real money. (said places have a large imported Italian population too.)

 

Hm. That label is the real thing, as it were - the 0171 numbers changed over to 0207 in 2000. The company is still going: https://www.sellingantiques.co.uk/antiquesexchange/about/

I need to stare at this a bit more, but I thinkearlier than the 50s.

 

I think that is a different "Antiques Exchange", located in Dorset. There does seem to be one that is or was on Tower Bridge Road in London, though website isn't active. You can find a phone number if you care to follow up.

Anyway, there are "antique stores" and "antique stores". Ones that sell only period furniture and stand by what they sell are relatively rare; ones that sell used furniture with both 19th and 20th century pieces, caring only about "the look", are much more common. The one you found the carbon copy of yours in (marylebone.com) seems to be one of "the look" types of stores, selling more 20th century than 19th century (and almost no 18th century). I suspect if you can find the correct "Antiques Exchange" in London, that they do the same. Note that marylebone guessed the desk like yours as 1880 to 1900; I agree with others that it is likely more recent. But it really doesn't make much difference; it is far from period in any case so definitely a reproduction no matter whether it was made in 1900 or 1950. The original style this was based on would have been from the 18th century.

The original Korean buyer of your desk may well have paid the price in the drawer, then paid to ship it. English antique stores are good at shipping overseas - a lot of experience shipping furniture to the US back in the day. The Korean buyers were willing to pay for "the look" without really understanding what they were buying. Bear in mind that the price in the drawer is without discount and is full retail, and is probably from 20 or so years ago when prices were much higher than they are now. So that 2900 pounds would be more like 700 today at full retail, much less outside of London, and lucky to get it.

 

It's the same chap, I reckon. It talks about him starting off in Bermondsey, which is where that label is from.

I think this thing started life as Edwardian - the marquetry is typical of ours of the time. The leather is way later, 1970s or so. Drawers have been either given new carcasses or are replacements for some reason. And actually, I think it had pigeon holes, no drawers at all, which is also far more right.

Hinges are fine for Edwardian. Someone did a gloopy toffee apple French polish in part. The "ormolu" on the feet has been added. I think the gallery has as well. I'd remove the drawers, get better leather on it, take the gallery and leg irons off. You'd end up with a nice little Ewardian desk bureau.

 

Wow! Thank you all for your detailed replies!
I guess my mother has a better eye than I do...
From your replies, I can draw a rough conclusion that:
- It's likely an Italian reproduction.
- Made sometime between 1900~1960?
- Worth money, but far less than £2,900, especially in this condition!
- Still a steal

Thank you all for your replies. PLEASE don't hesitate to post more of your opinions and observations on this piece; my mother is interested now! She is definitely going to keep this one instead of trying to sell it, so I think the bureau has found an owner as good as it can.

 

JMHO.
import from Italy and sold as a French Napoleon III piece. often overpaid due to English import companies.
https://www.google.ch/search?source...rAhWO3YUKHaaeDosQsAR6BAgKEAE&biw=1376&bih=652