Finn Juhl Diplomat Desk Authenticity  

I'll have a look at mine.
I have a rosewood one at home and coincidentally, I have a teak one arriving tomorrow.
One of your images shows a much lighter leg, which could mean that a damaged one has been replaced - are they all like that?

Finn Juhl Diplomat Desk Authenticity
Thanks for the reply. They all do look slightly off color, however the camera flash may accentuate it more so than with the naked eye. Also, the cutout motif doesn't seem to be original. I have an authentic F&S Diplomat chair that shows the cutout and it doesn't match up to the desk. At this point I am beginning to believe that this desk has been modified and is not a 100% F&S made desk. Also included is a photo of the underside, where the side panel wood seems to be newer/ off color. On your original desks, where would the F&S stamp be located?
Thanks again,
Randito

Slightly informed observations
France and Søn was very consistent about marking their product, but they don't seem to have marked absolutely 100% of their pieces. Various members on this forum have France and Søn pieces that are unmarked, and they have shared photos on the forum and the pieces look absolutely authentic.
So I don't think the absence of a France and Søn stamp or medallion can be taken as sufficient evidence--on its own--to indicate lack of authenticity.
I just googled your desk, and I've found a few other exemplars, two of which show a leg that looks lighter than the apron of the table (and I don't think they are your very desk, because they have the modesty panel). The color mismatch does seem odd to me, but that three desks show this same peculiarity suggests to me that it might be "authentic," even though I don't understand why. And I would continue inquiring about this peculiarity.
Perhaps post very close up photos of the joint, and perhaps a sharp eye here can suggest whether it looks like the legs is a replacement. Does the bottom of the leg (under the foot cap, if present) show the same lathe marks as the other legs?

Finn Juhl Desk Authenticity
Thank you for your response Ericson. The one thing that stands out that called into question the whole issue of the authenticity, was how the legs matched up to the corner of the desk and the side skirt and the lack of consistent cutout motif. I added a couple of photos (photos 1 & 2) of what I am confident is an original to compare with my example (3rd in list). This was a big red flag since it takes away from the clean lines of the orignal and gives the piece a shoddy appearance. I will have to go back and inspect the lathe marks on the bottom of the legs.
Thank you for the info on the France & Son markings.
Randito

Here is a (poor) photo
Here is a (poor) photo of the desk I have arriving tomorrow> You just about see that it has the cut-out detail that yours seems to be lacking.
I'll take better pics on Weds.

maybe it was shortened?
are there panels missing in the back??

Modesty panel is missing.
Yes, the modesty panel is missing, and I was aware when purchasing it, figuring that it should be a relatively simple fix. If anyone is able to take a photo of the inside of the panel and the hardware used to hold it up, that would be greatly appreciated.

Looking forward to more photos
@danielmpoole
Please be sure to post more photos of your Diplomat desks.

Hi Randito
I took a quick photo of the detail on my rosewood desk. The rest of the photos I will do this Sunday

One thing I did notice
which I never knew before is that my two desks seem to have the pull-out writing shelves, the others don't. Has anyone else noticed different models with, or without, the shleves?

Okay, so I have noticed a few differences
My rosewood desk has the same pedestal fittings as yours and there are also metal brackets in each corner which strengthen the legs, like yours.
My teak desk has a different pedestal fitting, two central fixings which mean the drawers/pedestal can sway unless held in place by the vanity board. I presume this is an earlier model?
Both desks have the France & Son badge on the underside, in the middle.
The teak desk does not have the metal leg brackets, which mean the legs are all loose. Not ideal.
Both desks have the detail on the skirt, which yours seems to lack and the legs on both desks are a very close colour match.
I hope this helps? Let me know if i can help with more info. Apologies for the poor image quality.

I have never had one of these desks so I have no experience with them.
Just out of interest I presume the legs on your teak example are removable, how are they attached?

There are two screws
Which thread into a metal fitting attached to each leg. The metal fitting slots into the skirt/frame. In the last image you can make out a (blurry) screw hole on either side of the leg.
On the underside of the skirt there are also several routed shapes, which i presume are there for other objects to be attached - does anyone know about these?

Wood quality
@danielmpoole,
The side skirt panel looks like like full teak wood, whereas mine has a veneer. Is this the case with your other desk?