Antiquing

My next assignment is an "object analysis" - I need to pick an object either up for auction or for sale at an antique gallery and write up an incredibly detailed report on everything from its dimensions and provenance to the historical context in which it was made. At first, I went to an antique mall in Mayfair (booths set up in a series all under one roof) and chose this lovely tea set from a friendly man at one of the small booths...

...but then I realized that writing about tea consumption in Britain is an incredibly banal and overdone subject around here. Also, because it was such a small booth, the teapot didn't have any known provenance and quite honestly it wasn't very creative nor intrinsically valuable (in comparison to the myriad of other objects I could chosen). After a bit of research, I decided to go antiquing again. 

This time, I went to Mallett, one of the oldest and most well-respected antique firms in London. Founded in 1865, they are located in a Georgian mansion in the heart of Mayfair. The interiors exceeded my expectations in every way - it was the most incredible space and most impressive array of furniture and decorative arts I have ever seen. 

(this picture taken from the internet)

Christie's has a special relationship with the company so I was able to and set up a time to chat and pick something out. 

Three floors of incredible objects! 

I kept getting distracted from the task at hand...how amazing are these carved ivory chess pieces?!

I ended up choosing the most incredible lacca povera bureau bookcase - early 18th century and from Italy, the decoration is a bit over-the-top (but what would Italian decoration be if it wasn't so?)

The decoration is done by taking prints (engravings, etchings, and the like), painting them, and then pasting them onto furniture with many layers of varnish. Lacca povera translates roughly to "poor man's lacquer" because it was imitating Chinese lacquer furniture. Even though it was imitating something else entirely, I absolutely love the unique effect. Wonderful details! 

I have quite a bit of research ahead of me but this piece is so much more interesting than a silver teapot! Off to the library :-)