Antique Japanese drop-front desk, of rectangular body and drop front that becomes a writing surface, over a lower body with sliding doors and three small side drawers. It originates from Japan, from the Taishō era, when Japanese domestic furniture incorporated Western typologies — the closed desk, the secrétaire — without giving up local craftsmanship.
The Japanese drop-front desk emerged in the Meiji period and consolidated in Taisho-Showa as a piece of domestic office furniture: the merchant, civil servant or head of household had a closed space for ledgers and correspondence. The flap-as-table system allowed all the equipment to be tidied away when closed, returning the piece to a clean and discreet silhouette.
It is built in solid amber-toned wood, nailed with perimeter reinforcement, with the drop front mounted on two flat pin hinges and finished at the centre with a decorative iron escutcheon. Below the flap, two solid sliding panels close the lower cabinet, and three drawers with snap closure and half-moon iron pulls sit on the right.
The patina is warm and quiet, with the wood darkened and an original finish that retains depth. Some scratches and marks of use are scattered across the front, typical of a domestic desk piece, and the upper escutcheon shows wear characteristic of continued handling.
It sits naturally in japandi, mid-century or contemporary eclectic interiors. It works as a compact desk in a bedroom or a reading corner, as an auxiliary cabinet for keeping correspondence and papers, or as a transition piece between living room and study.
Details
- Dimensions: Length 73 cm – Width 37 cm – Height 75 cm
- Style: Japanese Taishō
- Materials and techniques: Solid cedar wood; iron hardware; drop front on pin hinges; sliding doors and snap-closure drawers.
- Place of origin: Japan
- Period: Taishō era
- Date of manufacture: Circa 1920
- Condition: Good. The upper door has no key and therefore does not close fully. Some marks of use. Wear consistent with age and use.
This piece is part of the curated collection of Amaru Antiques, Barcelona.
ONE OF A KIND PIECE
