Where Ideas Rest: An Ebonized Easel with Drawing Portfolio, 19th Century

19th Century Ebonized Easel with Portfolio
Circa mid–late 19th century.
Ebonized wood with carved and gilt-highlighted decoration.

This striking 19th-century easel is finely crafted from ebonized wood and incorporates an integrated portfolio compartment, an elegant and highly seeable feature designed to store drawings, prints, or canvases. The tall back crest is richly carved with stylized foliate and floral motifs arranged beneath a Gothic-inspired arch, subtly heightened with traces of gilt, lending both sculptural presence and decorative refinement.

The hinged portfolio opens to reveal a fitted interior, supported by chains, and the easel is raised on turned legs joined by cross stretchers for stability. Likely produced for an artist’s studio or a cultivated interior, this form reflects the period’s romantic revival styles and the increasing professionalization of artists’ working furniture in the 19th century. Both functional and ornamental, the piece would have served as a statement object in a studio, salon, or library.

Dimensions:
31" L × 23" W × 71" H