mahogany veneered hardwood and softwood frame in oval design on one-drawer plinth decorated with Indian ink painting in the form of sea snakes and stylised lion paws, hinged mirror veneered writing surface all-round band with Indian ink painting (palmette decoration), 3 conically tapering maple drawers, 1 small base drawer decorated with Indian ink painting, upper 2-drawer stepped end with analogous Indian ink painting palmette decoration, side parts in the lower area with Indian ink painting in the form of torches, Indian ink painting on the slanted border edge, particularly elaborate and sumptuously decorated interior, caryatid pilasters in so-called ‘verde antico’ decor, partly openwork galleries with fine Indian ink painting, hinged lid executed in high-quality Indian ink painting in so-called ‘demi lune’ form, the upper compartments with tile decoration on the interior rear wall, the mirrored niche compartment with elaborately and masterfully executed caryatid galleries, sliding base plate with palmette Indian ink paintwork and secret compartments underneath, 2 outer doors also executed with Indian ink painting with mahogany veneered inner drawers, writing surface inset with original gold-embossed leather, c. 150 x 85 x 42 cm, several veneer and some wood parts missing, veneer parts partly added at a later date, fire-gilt bronze fittings on the key probably missing, several signs of age and use, partly in need of restoration. (DOC)

Provenance:
Italian private collection

The present writing cabinet joins the tradition of Empire lyre secretaries known for this type of form. This unique type of furniture originated in Vienna, with its geographical influence limited to the Austrian, German and Hungarian regions. All the more interesting is the wide range of shapes of these extremely rare writing desks, which are considered to be true luxury furniture, especially as they represented a major construction challenge for the master carpenters of the first quarter of the 19th century.
From the outside, the present secretary desk already announces the accentuation of the décor by means of Indian ink painting, which is brought to perfection on the inside. The masterly execution is unparalleled in this respect. Whereas in comparative examples with other lyre secretaries the focus is on the external ornamentation, such as cornucopias with plastically carved sphinxes or mythical creatures, here the aim is to achieve a perfect 'freestyle' of Indian ink paintwork. The bronze fittings that may have been originally attached were probably of a rather simple nature - after all, they were not intended to distract from the paintwork.
A “student drawing” for a writing cabinet by Johann Ertl (Vienna 1813) preserved in the Kupferstichkabinett of the Akademie der bildenden Künste inv. no. 16/103-15070 shows a similar variant of an oval secretary. Unlike other lyra secretaries, such as the one in the Kunstgewerbemuseum in Cologne, in the present specimen the writing interior is of primary importance and testifies to the mastery of the cabinet-maker.

Cf. lit.:
Gabriele Fabiankowitsch/Christian Witt-Dörring, Genormte Fantasie, p. 43 ff, fig. 64 and 65, Böhlau Verlag Vienna-Cologne-Weimar 1996
Ch. Witt-Dörring, Formvarianten des Lyrasekretärs (from: Der feine Unterschied, Biedermeiermöbel Europas 1815-1835 by Heidrun Zinkann) p. 55-61, Prestel Verlag München-Berlin-London-New York 2007
Kreisel/Himmelheber, Die Kunst des deutschen Möbels (Klassizismus Historismus Jugendstil) p. 96 ff, fig. 337, 360 and 361, Verlag C.H. Beck Munich 1973