George II Mahogany Bureau Bookcase

• Mahogany - Mahogany is a dense, close grained red-coloured timber from the West Indies and Central America. It was first imported into Europe in the the early 18th century and its use continued through the 19th century. It was popular for furniture making because of its strength, the wide boards available, the distinctive grain on some boards, termed flame mahogany and the rich warm colour of the timber when it was polished.. The "flame" was produced where a limb grew out from the trunk of the tree, and this timber was usually sliced into veneers for feature panels on doors, backs and cornices.
  
  Some terms used to describe mahogany relate to the country from which it originally came, such as "Cuban" mahogany, "Honduras" mahogany etc. However unless the wood has been tested the names assigned are more a selling feature, rather than a true indication of the timber's origin.
• Provenance - A term used to describe the provable history of an antique or work of art, and thus an additional aid to verifying its authenticity. Provenance can have an inflating effect on the price of an item, particularly if the provenance relates to the early settlement of Australia, a famous person, or royalty. Less significant are previous sales of the item through an auction house or dealer.
• Graduated Drawers - A bank of drawers, where the top drawer has the least depth, and the depth of the each drawer is greater than the drawer above.
• George Ii - George II (1683 - 1760) was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1727 until his death in 1760.
• Bureau Bookcase - In a bureau bookcase, the upper section is a conventional bookcase with wooden or glazed doors, the centre section includes a bureau with the usual drawers and pigeon-holes and a fall-front writing surface, while below there are cupboards or drawers.
• Cornice - The upper section of a high piece of furniture such as a bookcase, wardrobe or cabinet that sits immediately on the main structure. The cornice is usually decorated with a variety of architectural mouldings, worked either with a moulding plane or, from the later 19th century, by machine. The front and side of the cornice are mitred together, strengthened by glue blocks, and the back is generally a simple dovetailed rail to hold the structure together. Cornices are generally, though not always, fitted separately to the piece and are held in place either by screws sunk into the top board or by wooden corner blocks. A pediment may sit above the cornice, but sometimes the terms cornice and pediment are used interchangeably.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• bookcases, function or type
  • bureau cabinets 127
  • pairs 194
• bookcases, period
  • Georgian 265
  • William IV 39