Document holder - Large folders or desk portfolios in red lacquered leather with chinoiserie styling.
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Current bid
€ 320
Reserve price met
Expert
Selected by Anna Hue-Roques
Holds bachelor's degrees in Law and Art History with an Ecole du Louvre auctioneer diploma.
Estimate € 1,400 - € 1,600
 | €320 | |
|---|---|---|
| €250 | |
 | €1 |
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A late 18th-century Chinese-style desk folder or portfolio, made of red lacquered leather with black-and-gold decoration and a hand-painted floral interior.
AI-assisted summary
Description from the seller
Large Chinoiserie desk folder or portfolio in red lacquered leather
Probably made in China for the European market, or in Europe in an Orientalist style
Late 18th century
Dimensions: approximately 50 × 45 cm
An extraordinary and unusual large-format desk folder or portfolio, made over a rigid structure, covered and profusely decorated in an intense red lacquer with a crackled appearance, enriched with motifs painted in black and gold.
The exterior surface features a complex ornamental composition in the Chinoiserie taste, arranged around large vegetal scrolls, flowers, leaves and elegant arabesques, among which various Oriental figures appear. The gold decoration contrasts particularly attractively with the deep red background, whose extensive network of craquelure and wear gives the piece a magnificent aged patina.
Its interior is especially interesting, lined with a light-colored material and hand-decorated with delicate polychrome motifs of flowers, fruit, leaves, tendrils, small insects and a butterfly, rendered in vivid shades of green, pink, blue and violet. This decoration, much lighter and more naturalistic than that on the exterior, creates an appealing contrast between the austerity of the red-and-gold cover and the almost watercolor-like luminosity of the interior.
The edge is finished and stitched, and numerous signs of its original construction remain. The piece shows the wear consistent with long use: widespread craquelure, scuffs and losses to the decoration, wear around the edges, and damage and tears to the interior lining. These alterations are clearly visible and form part of its material history, while the piece as a whole retains considerable decorative impact.
Original function
Objects of this type formed part of the furnishings of an office, library or private study. Its large size allowed it to hold and protect folio-sized documents, correspondence, invoices, business papers, drawings or manuscripts.
When opened on a table or bureau, the folder also provided a large surface for arranging papers while writing and could serve a function similar to that of later writing portfolios and desk blotters.
Given its size—approximately 50 × 45 cm—and the richness of its decoration, it does not appear to be a simple portable accessory, but rather an object of some distinction intended to remain on an important desk, combining a practical function with an evident display purpose.
The combination of red lacquer, gold Chinoiserie decoration, figures, abundant vegetal ornament and a striking polychrome floral interior makes this piece a particularly attractive example of the European taste for the arts of the Far East during the 18th century
Large Chinoiserie desk folder or portfolio in red lacquered leather
Probably made in China for the European market, or in Europe in an Orientalist style
Late 18th century
Dimensions: approximately 50 × 45 cm
An extraordinary and unusual large-format desk folder or portfolio, made over a rigid structure, covered and profusely decorated in an intense red lacquer with a crackled appearance, enriched with motifs painted in black and gold.
The exterior surface features a complex ornamental composition in the Chinoiserie taste, arranged around large vegetal scrolls, flowers, leaves and elegant arabesques, among which various Oriental figures appear. The gold decoration contrasts particularly attractively with the deep red background, whose extensive network of craquelure and wear gives the piece a magnificent aged patina.
Its interior is especially interesting, lined with a light-colored material and hand-decorated with delicate polychrome motifs of flowers, fruit, leaves, tendrils, small insects and a butterfly, rendered in vivid shades of green, pink, blue and violet. This decoration, much lighter and more naturalistic than that on the exterior, creates an appealing contrast between the austerity of the red-and-gold cover and the almost watercolor-like luminosity of the interior.
The edge is finished and stitched, and numerous signs of its original construction remain. The piece shows the wear consistent with long use: widespread craquelure, scuffs and losses to the decoration, wear around the edges, and damage and tears to the interior lining. These alterations are clearly visible and form part of its material history, while the piece as a whole retains considerable decorative impact.
Original function
Objects of this type formed part of the furnishings of an office, library or private study. Its large size allowed it to hold and protect folio-sized documents, correspondence, invoices, business papers, drawings or manuscripts.
When opened on a table or bureau, the folder also provided a large surface for arranging papers while writing and could serve a function similar to that of later writing portfolios and desk blotters.
Given its size—approximately 50 × 45 cm—and the richness of its decoration, it does not appear to be a simple portable accessory, but rather an object of some distinction intended to remain on an important desk, combining a practical function with an evident display purpose.
The combination of red lacquer, gold Chinoiserie decoration, figures, abundant vegetal ornament and a striking polychrome floral interior makes this piece a particularly attractive example of the European taste for the arts of the Far East during the 18th century
Details
Era
1400-1900
Over 200 years old
Yes
Number of objects
1
Condition
Fair condition - heavily used & with possibly minor parts missing
Estimated period
late 18th century
Title additional information
Large folders or desk portfolios in red lacquered leather with chinoiserie styling.
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