United States, 1950s
Johan Tapp created this beautiful writing desk for San Francisco emporium Gumps, who sold it as a custom order for an American poet in the early 1950s. The design juxtaposes the rich grain and warmth of koa wood with ebonized trim. On the right, four individually sized drawers feature bookmatched fronts with handsome brass pulls. On the left a drop-leaf is set flush into a carved support with an Asian inflection. When open, it extends the desktop by another 26.5 inches.