A late George III brass mounted mahogany cylinder bureau


in the Louis XVI styleCirca 1800, the superstructure comprising a pair of panelled doors above three frieze drawers, over a panelled fall enclosing a satinwood interior with eight drawers and eight pigeon holes, with a central hinged ratcheted leather inset writing slide below, above three frieze drawers, over two short drawers flanked by rounded mille raie angles, on ring turned reeded and block tapering legs, terminating in toupie feet, 129cm wide x 65cm deep x 162cm high, (50 1/2in wide x 25 1/2in deep x 63 1/2in high)
|ProvenanceThe Princes of Pless, Schloss Furstenstein, Silesia.Christie's, London, 30 October 1997, Fine Continental Furniture, lot 77.Schloss Furstenstein (or Furstenstein Castle), historically located in Silesia, is actually to be found in modern day Poland. Parts of this enormous and highly impressive building complex date back to the 14th century, when the original castle was constructed in the Gothic style. However since that time the Schloss Furstenstein has undergone various phases of re-building, along with significant architectural extensions and transformations. During the latter half of the 16th century Furstenstein was largely rebuilt in the Renaissance taste. Then, between 1671 and 1688, those elements of the Schloss which had been damaged during the Thirty Years War (1618-48) were cleared, while the whole south wing was recreated by Antonio Domenico Rossi in the Baroque style. Numerous further additions and alterations took place during the 18th and 19th centuries although perhaps the greatest campaign of reconstruction and renovation took place at the castle in the decades immediately following the Second World War, when certain parts of both the exterior and interior of Furstenstein suffered either total destruction or partial damage. The most significant residents of Schloss Furstenstein were undoubtedly the noble Hochberg family who resided there from 1605 onwards. Among whom perhaps the most notable was Hans Heinrich XI, Prince of Pless and Imperial Count von Hochberg, who belonged to the Prussian House of Lords and was made Imperial Oberjagdmeister in 1905. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schloss_Fürstenstein