A fine Art Deco Bureau/Bookcase by the distinguished company of De Coene Freres of Belguim. Circa: 1935
Made from rosewood with chrome and macassar handles. To the left hand side two sliding glazed doors with two shelves and to the right a drop down leaf to provide a working area with various compartments and drawers. Below two compartments, each with two shelves and two central drawers. Each of the three compartments and two drawers fitted with quality working locks and keys.
All our furniture is professionally polished and restored where necessary. This item is in excellent condition.
Joseph François De Coene (1875-1950) was an entrepreneur from Courtrai who made a considerable contribution to the Flemish arts. He was the oldest son of the upholsterer Adolphe De Cone and Coralie Tavernier, a painter from Ghent, Coralie. In 1905 his brother Adolf and his brothers in law Arthur Deleu and Marcel Brunein joined the business, which they called ‘De Coene Frères’.
The destruction of World War I resulted in a serious pent-up demand for joinery and carpentry. De Coene Frères quickly capitalized on this opportunity. Although the quick success, ambitions of Joseph De Coene reached higher. In 1921 he went to the United States on a study tour. Back home he developed a serial production of furniture in laminated wood and participated in international exhibitions: Milan, Paris, Roubaix, Brussels. The innovative furniture from their workshops received several prizes and medals. After some years the company rebranded itself to ‘ Kortrijkse Kunstwerkstede Gebroeders De Coene’. Just before World War II they employed almost 3.000 men and the ‘Kunstwerkstede’ was at the top of European wooden furniture production. Internal Ref: PAD0924

Dimensions

Height = 131.5 cm (51.8″)
Width = 215 cm (84.6″)
Depth = 45 cm (17.7″)