Georgian Solid Mahogany Desk Says Knee - Late Eighteenth Century

A small Georgian period mahogany knee-hole desk with blue leather sliding writing surface.  
It has a single full width central drawer topped by a hinged cupboard door in the knee hole, flanked on either side by three graduated drawers on raised pedestals revealing carved bracket feet or 'hook' feet. Each drawer has a brass swivel handle and a brass keyhole with a key.
The brass hardware is original.
 
Period : Late 18th century
Dimensions : Height : 81cm x Length : 103cm x Depth : 58cm

The 18th century is the great period of splendour of English furniture, the rich and cultivated aristocracy of the Grand Tour built villas surrounded by superb gardens, acquired art collections and wished for a new furniture which followed the fashions of the time. 

The cabinetmakers thus followed aesthetic developments, while maintaining a very high level of execution and refinement that contributed to the reputation of 18th century English furniture, particularly in terms of work on mahogany, of which the two greatest representatives were Thomas Chippendale (1718-1779) and Georges Hepplewhite (1727-1786), who were recognised thanks to the distribution of their model books.

The Georgian style is a term used to designate the period spanning the reigns of four rulers named George, which lasted for almost a century. 

During this period, there were several styles. The first, the "early Georgian", between 1714 and 1760, established the main characteristics of 18th century furniture. 

One of the great revolutions was the advent of mahogany, which replaced walnut around 1720 because of the French embargo on the export of walnut to England. 

This change influenced the design and decoration of the furniture and led to the abandonment of marquetry and carved decorations: silver or gold were preferred as they were better suited to mahogany. The pieces also became lighter and more openworked, as the wood was very solid.

This was the period of the intimate alliance between interior decoration and overall interior furnishings, of which the architect William Kent was the greatest representative in the first half of the century.