Rare Walter Burley Griffin Japanese Oak Pedestal Desk

A rare and important Japanese oak pedestal desk designed by Walter Burley Griffin for Newman College, University of Melbourne, circa 1917, with original pull out slides and timber handles, stamped James Moore and Sons, City Road, Melbourne, 31.10 in. high, 83.86 in. wide, 47.24 in. deep. provenance: Built for the Dean of Newman College, Reverend James O'Dwyer, circa 1916 - 1918. During the late 1950's and early 1960's the renovation of Newman College saw the desk and other furniture that was not required placed at the back of the college building. Some of this furniture was moved across to the Jesuit rooms opposite Melbourne University while other items were given to students. The Deans desk was given/taken to the Hawthorn cricket club rooms and remained there until about 1987 when it was given to one of the committee members. The desk was subsequently auctioned in 2007 where it was purchased by the present owner.

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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.
Pedestal Desk - A pedestal desk is a type of desk that consists of a large work surface supported by two pedestals or cabinets, one on either side. The pedestals are usually identical and contain drawers and cabinets for storage. The desk's design allows it to be placed in the centre of a room, as the back of the desk is usually finished with the same veneer as the front.

Pedestal desks were popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, and were usually made from high-quality wood, such as cedar, mahogany, walnut or oak, and were decorated with intricate carvings and other decorative details. They were used by businessmen, politicians, and other professionals, and were considered a symbol of status and success.
Circa - A Latin term meaning 'about', often used in the antique trade to give an approximate date for the piece, usually considered to be five years on either side of the circa year. Thus, circa 1900 means the piece was made about 1900, probably between 1895 and 1905. The expression is sometimes abbreviated to c.1900.
Signed or Stamped - A signed piece of furniture may mean that the maker has signed (and hopefully dated) the piece in the same way that we sign a cheque, but more likely, that it bears evidence of the name of the maker, wholesaler or retailer as a paper label, metal plaque, impressed into the timber or in later pieces after about 1880, stamped onto the timber with an ink stamp.

The 'signature' or stamp will always be in an unobtrusive position: under the top of a table, on the underside of the rails of a chair, inside a drawer or on the back.

The fact that a piece is 'signed' considerably enhances its value. Signed Australian furniture is extremely rare, and for imported furniture, it is a mark of quality of the item, as only the items by the top makers or retailers were 'signed'
Oak - Native to Europe and England, oak has been used for joinery, furniture and building since the beginning of the medieval civilisation. It is a pale yellow in colour when freshly cut and darkens with age to a mid brown colour.

Oak as a furniture timber was superceded by walnut in the 17th century, and in the 18th century by mahogany,

Semi-fossilised bog oak is black in colour, and is found in peat bogs where the trees have fallen and been preserved from decay by the bog. It is used for jewellery and small carved trinkets.

Pollard oak is taken from an oak that has been regularly pollarded, that is the upper branches have been removed at the top of the trunk, result that new branches would appear, and over time the top would become ball-like. . When harvested and sawn, the timber displays a continuous surface of knotty circles. The timber was scarce and expensive and was used in more expensive pieces of furniture in the Regency and Victorian periods.

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