My mother found a french bureau de dame thrown out on the street. Is it real, or an elaborate fake?

EDIT: inserting images via imgur doesn't seem to work. I'll use the imgur links directly until I can find a fix, how can I directly upload pictures into the post??

Hello all! I've made an account here, not only because I'm interested in antiquities, but because my mother has picked up (from the side of a road) an antique french bureau de dame. With some quick searching, I've discovered that it's almost EXACTLY the same as this bureau sold in this listing:
https://www.maryleboneantiques.co.u...h-bureau-de-dame-kingwood-rosewood-marquetry/
And, best of all, it has a little price tag on the inside, (with "bureau" curiously misspelled as "beaureau"; But then again, I don't know how to spell it either.) claiming to have been sold from the Antiques Exchange in London, for a hefty price of 2,900 GBP (roughly $3,780 USD)! Wow!

https://imgur.com/JaVDbJw


However, upon close examination, the bureau we have seems to be a bit sloppily made. The metal works seem as if they were made by hand, a bit "squished" and sometimes tilted or skewed, if you get what I mean. I'll include some pictures down there.

https://imgur.com/mhDrspq

https://imgur.com/qdndDbV

https://imgur.com/2OdetuA

https://imgur.com/78uNLKz


If you look closely at this metal bit, you can see that it's attached with tiny nails:


https://imgur.com/5ZRVHZp

The screws in the hinge are also quite flattened (and different from the photos in the listing):



https://imgur.com/YLkgjBG

Most everything seems a bit mismatched and made by hand, which I believe may be a sign of handcrafted parts (seeing as how this is likely from the late 1800s); My mother thinks that it proves that it's a replica. I disagree!

https://imgur.com/eGGNXwH





https://imgur.com/MfKnAbs

This bit seems to be made out of thin leather of some sort..?


This is the bureau from the side:

https://imgur.com/qcunpyh


From the front:

https://imgur.com/cc8k92b


From the back.

https://imgur.com/NLA9q7p


Interestingly enough, if you compare the photos in the listing and the one in this post, you can see that the grain of the wood are going the same way! Also, the pieces of wood are not separated between the top part and the legs; The grain goes right on throughout the entire back of the table, top to bottom.

https://imgur.com/NLA9q7p

https://imgur.com/tqYGOfm

So what do you guys think? I think this is legitimate (I mean, there's a price tag on it!), but my mother seems to think it's some sort of elaborate fake.

Also, one more thing.. This was discovered on a roadside in a city in Korea. Makes it very strange, how would it have gotten from France, to England, to Korea?

Is this real, and if so, how much do you guys estimate it would cost?

Thank you for your help! I'm interested to find out anything I can about this.

 

Welcome Eojin. Your photos don't show.

Here is info on how to upload pictures, please remember to click on 'full image' when you post:https://www.antiquers.com/threads/posting-a-thread-and-uploading-pictures.15990/

If you need help, just ask.

 

Thank you for replying! However, the photos are too large, not to mention that I have quite a few of them. I would appreciate it if any viewers can simply go into this imgur album, to view the pictures in full quality and number: https://imgur.com/a/QCdTOSo

I'd appreciate any help!

 

Hi Eojin, and WELCOME!!! EACH image needs to be UNDER 1 MB! No need for me to re-post Any Jewelry's instructions for posting from a computer, but if you're on a cell phone, here are instructions for that:

If on an iPhone:
https://www.antiquers.com/threads/resizing-photos-on-i-phone.35097/

And if on an Android phone:
https://www.antiquers.com/threads/using-an-android-phone-for-pics-on-antiquers.41709/

When all images are fully loaded, THEN click on the VERY TOP IMAGE that says to
INSERT EVERY IMAGE AS A FULL IMAGE.....easier for ALL to see!! Thanks!!

BTW, you're NOT the first new member(and won't be the last!!) to need help getting images posted....happened to most of us when we were new!!

 

Oh no, everyone's pointing out the pictures instead of the bureau... As I said, I have much more than 8 pictures I'd like to show, not to mention that reducing every photo to be under 1MB is time-consuming and lowers the quality of the photo (which is already not top-notch). And anyways, you'd have to click on the pack of images in order to view it, mayn't I use the imgur link instead?

 

You'll find MOST of us are VERY careful with our computers and rarely click on outside links....and you won't find much loss in your images in getting them under 1 MB!!!! It doesn't usually take a "ton" of images for us to get the 'gist' of what's trying to be conveyed by what's being posted!! There are MANY experienced, some professional, GOOD eyes, on board here!!!

 

Yikes, even imgur is considered risky?? OK then, When in Rome, do as the Romans do.. I'm reducing the images to be under 1MB each. Thanks for the explanation! X)

 

Think of it this way. Which is more efficient, 1 person putting in extra effort to include images in their post for 100 people to easily see, or 100 people each putting in extra effort to view images scattered around the internet so 1 person can easily post?

 

You're most welcome, and I think you'll find you'll be happy with the result! We really DO try to be helpful!!!

 

And that I just have! I've created a new thread to remove the clutter (those "IMG" thingies in the post), and it's looking quite fine so far. Please take a look at it and tell me if there's more I should change! Thank you

 

Indeed and hard to imagine it hadn't been "found" a moment after a hand released it!

 

No need to make a new thread, just edit your top post..

 

I do believe my mother was the "finder"; She was so anxious to keep it that she stayed by it while her friend went and got the car to load it onto!

 

I would have, but the "Upload a file" button wasn't visible in the edit page (not to mention the clutter of the dead "IMG" links in the post that turned invisible as well).. I thought it would be better to simply re-write my post. I'll delete this thread if need be!

 

Because we couldn't see the bureau, so there was no bureau to point out.

You can post pictures in every new post. But you can't delete a thread, one of the mods will have to do that.

 

duplicate thread.....

look here...

https://www.antiquers.com/threads/e...out-on-the-street-is-it-real-or-a-fake.52359/

 

As can be seen by the replies on THIS thread, that thread was created by me after I messed up here, failing to add images and accidentally adding the phantom "IMG" inserts which I could not edit out. I created the new thread to create a clean post; I think I'll request for a mod to delete this thread!

 

That's an idea !

I was just pointing folks to the better thread !

I don't care which one was first........or second........it's just better if folks concentrate on the right one !!

Or do u have something else you'd like to tell me ?

 

When people post duplicate threads, someone usually alerts other people to the fact that one is a duplicate.
It saves people wasting time giving IDs that were already given in the other thread.

 

ah, I thought they were directing it to me, without knowing that I was the person who posted the other thread. Thank you for your help!