This Jane Austen blog brings Jane Austen, her novels, and the Regency Period alive through food, dress, social customs, and other 19th C. historical details related to this topic.
This beautiful marquetry table transforms into a desk with a turn of a key. This short animated film shows you how it operates and how an elegant French lady in the 18th century would have used it. Enjoy.
Exquisite marquetry of this French mechanical table.
Read about metamorphic furniture (which is different from mechanical furniture) at this link.
That was an absolutely gorgeous desk. I’d love the privacy and secret compartments. The colors are amazing. The designs so detailed. I can add to the above – I wish I had one.
How charming! What an exquisite little piece of work. Jane would not have been able to afford it, but her cousin Eliza would, and perhaps saw one like this when she lived in France.
[…] showed how the hidden mechanisms worked and how easily the table could be moved from place to place. Click on this link to view it. Share with others:Like this:LikeBe the first to like […]
Fashionable Goodness: Christianity in Jane Austen's England is now available! By JAW contributor Brenda S. Cox. See Review. Available from Amazon and Jane Austen Books.
“My idea of good company…is the company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation.” – Jane Austen, Persuasion
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Vic Sanborn, founder of this blog, is supported by a team of talented and knowledgeable writers about Jane Austen and the Regency era. They are:
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Hello, my name is Vic and I live in Maryland, USA. I have adored Jane Austen almost all of my life. I am a proud lifetime member of the Jane Austen Society of North America. This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me and my team. We do not accept any form of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions. However, we do accept and keep books and CDs to review.
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Project Gutenberg: eBook of Stage-coach and Mail in Days of Yore, Volume 2 (of 2), by Charles G. Harper
STAGE-COACH AND MAIL IN DAYS OF YORE: A PICTURESQUE HISTORY
OF THE COACHING AGE, VOL. II, By CHARLES G. HARPER. 1903. Click on this link.
I wish Jane Austen could have owned one of those, though she did pretty well on her portable writing desk.
I love that table.
I agree, Nancy. She deserved something that pretty, practical and portable!
This is so cool. What a neat little desk. I’d like one. Thanks for sharing the video with us.
I want one! So beautiful and so useful!
My surname is Bryans -sorry my computer corrected it!
Such an interesting post Vic! Thanks for sharing!
Adriana
How nifty! Do you know if they still make desks like this? I’d love to have one.
What a beautiful and cool desk! Thanks for sharing!
That was an absolutely gorgeous desk. I’d love the privacy and secret compartments. The colors are amazing. The designs so detailed. I can add to the above – I wish I had one.
This is the table where you can safely store your love letters.
Muito linda!Eu quero uma… :)
Adorei o post Vic!
Thank you for introducing me to the Getty’s education site and the videos.
You’re welcome. I enjoyed the sound effects that accompanied the narration as I learned how this fascinating table was put together.
Reblogged this on Bustling along bookshelves . . . and commented:
A wondrous mechanism…just what I want on my Wishlist….
How clever was the designer of this!!! It’s gorgeous, and I want one too. :-)
How charming! What an exquisite little piece of work. Jane would not have been able to afford it, but her cousin Eliza would, and perhaps saw one like this when she lived in France.
I love the idea of what this writing desk concealed for the writer. I suppose the writer kept the key on her chattelaine (sp? so as to not lose it.
So many uses for one single article. They did make use of space!
Reblogged this on Ippokampos Afroulis Recounting… and commented:
awesome!!!!
[…] showed how the hidden mechanisms worked and how easily the table could be moved from place to place. Click on this link to view it. Share with others:Like this:LikeBe the first to like […]