Fred Woodall Repair Service

19th Century National Treasure of France. Very important French Vitrine. Entire area where bottom hinge broken off. Kingwood veneer replacement. Very high skilled work.

Arrived today at the shop. Henri Dasson Cir. 1885 Massive (13' long, 5' high) ormolu mounted Kingwood Floral marquetry commode. Piece fully assembled 700 lbs. I estimate 250 hour restoration.

Two Joseph Fitter Crank Tables. One 14' 3 leaf and a 24' 11 leaf. Large table we restored back in 2001. Replaced the entire top and 11 leaves using 1 1/8" thick solid Honduras mahogany. Rebuild the entire track mechanism. Carved one new leg and replaced the apron. Here is the link showing the apron being built. http://fredwoodall.com/apron.htm

1850 Joseph Fitter 14' 3 leaf Crank Table in Solid African Mahogany. 120 hour restoration. Table came into the shop is pieces.

14' Conf. Table. Cut in half. Make two 20" table leaves. New center leg. Refinish.

Francois Linke Ormolu Chair. Leg badly repaired numerous times. Duplicate new leg. Linke Gilt Table restored.

From customer: The desk came into my family seven or eight generations ago in the mid 1800's from the widow of a well-known Scottish gardener named Thomas Blaikie. He had designed gardens for various members of the French aristocracy prior to the revolution and was closely associated with Charles Phillipe (Compte D'Artois brother of Louis XVI and future Charles X). The desk was part of a collection of items given to my great-great-grand mother who was from Dover England. The collection came to the US when my grandfather emigrated during WWII and was housed in my grandmother's home from about 1940 until I inherited it from her in 1995. The collection included the desk, several other pieces of pink satin upholstered furniture, a small bust of Marie Antoinette and Blaikie's original hand-written diary. The diary contains numerous entries about his interactions with and work for the French court including Marie Antoinette. Apparently he was somewhat of a confidante of Antoinette in the days prior to her ex*****on. The diary has been published at least twice and two of my ancestors are mentioned in the introduction as being in possession of the diary and a collection of his belongings including fine furniture (the writing desk is not mentioned specifically). Attached are links to Blaikie's wikipedia page, a link to the recent edition of his published diary, and an excerpt from the intro mentioning my ancestors in Dover. I have a phototcopy of the original leather-bound diary (my Aunt has the original along with the rest of the collection of items) as well as copies of correspondence between Blaikie and the French government and the British administration charged with resolving claims by British citizens against France in the aftermath of the revolution. Blaikie made financial claims against the estate of the Compte D'Artios for services rendered, against the French state for items stolen from his home by Revolutionary troops in1792, and for the loss of his house in France when it was subsequently burned. The letters we have span a 30 year period from the 1790's to the 1820's.

Louis XV Cir. 1740 Gilt Tulipwood and Kingwood Veneered Writing Desk Belonged to a well-known Scottish gardener named Thomas Blaikie. He had designed gardens for various members of the French aristocracy prior to the revolution and was closely associated with Charles Phillipe (Compte D'Artois brother of Louis XVI and future Charles X).

Drum Table. New leather top. Replacement veneer.

William IV Rosewood Table Circa 1830. Previous owner Malcolm Forbes. 170 hour restoration.

Rare Early 17th Century Marquetry Cabinet from Augsbury, Germany 70 hour restoration.

Joseph Emmanuel Zwiener Late 19th Century ormolu-mounted Kingwood marquetry table. Structual break on one side.