Carlton House deskabout 1815George OakleyH: 35 3/8 in.; W: 42 1/8 in.; D: 23 3/8 in.
Checked furniture conservation lab 12/10/12 GHCalamander, gilt metal, leather writing surfaceGift of Horace Wood Brock2012.11701The design of this desk with a stepped superstructure is traditionally associated with Carlton House, the London residence of the Prince Regent, later King George IV. The fashion for furniture in the “Grecian” taste inlaid in the “buhl” manner was a specialty of the Bond Street cabinet-maker George Oakley, whose “Manufactory and Magazine for fashionable Furniture” was patronized by George IV, then Prince Regent. Exotic woods with striking grain, such as calamander, or zebra wood, from the British colonies (most likely India), were popular during the Regency period in England.Furniture89.85267970540.000000000059.372618745250985101