American cosmos desk. around 1900. rare simple model.

Cosmos is the top of the range of professional furniture from the very beginning of the 20th century. Their sumptuous filing cabinets, their chairs and even their solid wood desks are magnificent and of a quality certified by the legendary two-tone metallic label, here nailed to the front of the office: cosmos, 3 rue de gramont, paris. We find this advertisement crazy with this poor boss nicknamed mr. Jadis. His business is “dead” while mr. Modern, since moving to cosmos, is doing “colossal business”! This model is very rare because you almost never find one with a single column of drawers (generally, there are two). Less bulky, it is also even more beautiful in a small model. The upper part opens with a thick curtain of solid wood slats, operated by two handles screwed into the bottom of the curtain. It slides perfectly, and its beautiful golden keyhole stands out against the original patina of the wood. The lock is also original but as the key was no longer there, it was neutralized so that the shutter would not remain stuck in the closed position. Inside, a small "amphitheater" of storage lockers, two charming little drawers, two retractable pen trays, letter holders on each side as well as side slots designed to slide the mail in when the flap is closed. The top is sumptuous and the restored patina is explosive! We find the small brass plate of the lock. In the lower part, a large drawer on the left, a retractable solid wood shelf on the right which slides perfectly, as well as 4 side drawers with beautiful solid wood handles. The lock of the first drawer, protected in 1884 (!), is functional but the key is still missing. Likewise, the automatic vlocking system of the drawers with the closing of the shutter has been neutralized for more practical use. Because this desk comes from a beautiful listed residence in 78, where it was purchased new.