Antique Secretaire Chest of Drawers

Ornate antique secretaire bureau or large chest of four drawers with fitted upper interior. A beautiful piece made in the mid to late 1800's, probably British but could well be French or Italian. The top "drawer" pulls out and the front comes down to reveal an interior of six small drawers and an arched alcove. The little drawers are veneered in a light wood, probably maple, as is part of the writing surface below them. Three of the glass knobs are missing and one replaced. When closed, the piece appears to be a five drawer chest (or four: the bottom drawer is not obvious) with intricate inlays at the top and base. The front verticals are highly carved and there are ornate mouldings above. Unfortunately the condition is only fair: some moulding is missing on the left vertical; another is missing from the side top, though we have that piece; the figured veneer that covers most of the piece is damaged and has many old repairs (quite charming really) and, most obviously, one drawer has some large pieces of veneer missing, revealing the base wood below. This can be repaired, and though that might be fairly expensive, the piece warrants it. Alternatively, it could be stained to a similar colour; it'd look better and doesn't preclude future, better repairs. The finish on the upper flap has a large water mark. On the plus side, the structure is pretty sound; we've been through all the drawers repairing where necessary and they work quite well and are solid enough. Some are a little stiff, particularly the fitted top, but I believe they will improve after some months in a warm house. Failing that, a little sanding here and there, but no point yet. No drawer knobs; keys would've been used for that: guess what? There aren't any.. Sounds like a litany of woes, I know; I'm just pointing out what needs doing, or tolerating; the good points are obvious and many. This is a lovely thing that would like a bit of help; we've kept the price very reasonable.. Dimensions: 118cm x 60cm x 110cm high (open depth 95cm, flap height 88cm)