Expertise of a desk dating back to the mid-nineteenth century

Technical and artistic information

• Auhor: Toms & Luscombe
• Object: desk
• Yeat: 1862
• Technique: Boulle inlay
• Materials: ebony, mahogany, tortoiseshell, gilded bronze, leather
• Measures: cm 201x110x80h
• Signature: absent

The authors and the historical context

The firm was founded in 1849 by Josiah Toms, formerly assistant to the house of “Town & Emanuel” at 103 New Bond Street, together with William Luscombe, who took over.

Their signature became famous for the production of finely decorated furniture.

Toms & Luscombe’s stylistic inspiration was André-Charles Boulle (1642–1732), a cabinetmaker at the court of Louis XIV. His marquetry technique combined brass and metal inlays on tortoiseshell or ebony backgrounds and mercury-gilt bronze trim with plant motifs, masks, and elaborate cornices. In the mid-19th century, during the Neo-Baroque revival, this decorative language was revived and reinterpreted. London became a meeting point between French taste and the skill of English craftsmen, capable of creating sumptuous pieces destined for a global market.

Between 1840 and 1860, London was the hub of European luxury furniture production and trade. The growing wealth of the Victorian bourgeoisie and the competition between the major capitals (London, Paris, and Vienna) fostered an era of extraordinary creativity in the decorative arts.
Two main trends emerged in this context: the revival of historical styles, especially French Baroque and Rococo, with an almost philological focus on ancient techniques, and technical and industrial innovation, thanks to machinery that accelerated the production of complex components without sacrificing artisanal finishing.

Studying

The piece being appraised is a desk from an English manufacturing center. It was crafted in the style of André-Charles Boulle, inlaid with brass on a tortoiseshell background and adorned with intricate gilded bronze decorations. The top is made of green Moroccan leather.

From research into period documents, the desk was identified as having been reproduced at the London International Exhibition of 1862. International exhibitions of the mid-19th century, beginning with the London Exhibition of 1851, became key showcases for luxury furniture manufacturers. Here, fashions were set, trade agreements were forged, and brands destined to become history were established.

That same desk, a hundred years later, was used on the set of the film “Dr. No” (1962), the first in the James Bond series starring Sean Connery. In the scene, it is visible inside Dr. Julius No’s quarters on Crab Key, along with other prestigious objects—a sign of the iconic impact this artifact had on audiences of the time.

The appearance of the desk in the film “Dr. No” (1962) was no coincidence: cinema often chose iconic furnishings to convey luxury, power, and refinement. In this sense, the object is not just a piece of furniture, but a bridge between history, art, and the collective imagination.