antique victorian betjemann's pietra dura coromandel book slide 19th c

This is a high quality antique Victorian Coromandeland porcelain adjustable book slide, by Betjemann's, 19th Century and circa 1870 in date.

It is made of stunnning coromandel and features a pair of oval gilt brass mounts enclosingSevres hand paintedporcelain panels depicting figures in garden settings, and it is wonderfully decorated with stupendous gilt brass filigree mounts.It was made by the renowned maker of patented mechanisms,Betjemann'sof Pentonville Road, London, and bears their engraved plaque name and patent number 11405.
SELF CLOSING BOOK SLIDE/ 17849/ BETJEMANN'S PATENT
It is a delightful object which will display yourfavouritebooks beautifully.Condition:In excellent condition with only minor signs of wear commensurate with age and use, having been beautifully cleaned, polished and waxed in our workshops,, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm:Height 17 x Width 52 x Depth 15-OpenHeight 17 x Width 34 x Depth 15-ClosedDimensions in inches:Height 7 inches x Width 1 foot, 8 inches x Depth 6 inches-OpenHeight 7 inches x Width 1 foot, 1 inch x Depth 6 inches-Closed
Our reference: A2241
Betjemann & SonsFrom 1859, based at 36-40 Pentonville Road, London, George Betjemann amd his two sons took the art of cabinet, box and book slide making to new heights. They specialised in designs for operating the way that different compartments in vanity boxes opened and also the sprung system for book slides.
Coromandelwoodor Calamanderwoodis a valuable wood fromIndia,Sri Lankaand South East Asia. It is of a hazel-brown color, with black stripes (or the other way about), very heavy and hard. It is also known asMacassarEbonyorvariegated ebonyand is closely related to genuineebony, but is obtained from different species in the same genus; one of these isDiospyrosquaesitaThwaites, from Sri Lanka. The nameCalamandercomes from the localsinhalesename, 'kalu-medhiriya', which means dark chamber; referring to the characteristic ebony black wood.Coromandelwood has been logged to extinction over the last 2 to 3 hundred years and is no longer available for new work in any quantity. Furniture incoromandelis so expensive and so well looked after that even recycling it is an unlikely source. A substitute,MacassarEbony, has similar characteristics and to the untrained eye is nearly the same but it lacks the depth ofcolourseen in genuineCoromandel.

Antiques.co.uk Ref: YUPR3XUGM

Width (cm):

52

Height (cm):

17

Depth (cm):

15

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