Secretary, Germany, probably Kassel, around 1825

Secretaries in the shape of a lyra have been rarely produced in Germany at the beginning of the 19^th century. The musical instrument of a lyra associates the art of music and poem and such a kind of secretary has been absolute fancy and very fashionable in the time of classicism. Framed by gilded floral ornaments the bureau stands on lion’s claws. The interior is veneered and depicts an architectural structure with numerous drawers partly hidden.

Literature:

Kreisel/Himmelheber, Die Kunst des deutschen Möbels, München 1973, fig. 335; W.L. Eller, Möbel des Klassizismus, Louis XVI und Empire, Antiquitätenkatalog, München, 2002, p. 239, fig. [405];

Concerning the bureau in Hannover: A. Feulner, Kunstgeschichte des Möbels, Berlin 1927, p. 745, Abb. 648 (described as „Wiener Sekretär“)