An elegant Louis XV style kingwood bureau plat of serpentine outline, finely mounted in gilt bronze and retaining its original leather inset writing surface.
The shaped rectangular top with moulded gilt-bronze edge is inset with a tooled black leather writing surface, centred with a delicate gilt motif and enclosed within a gilt-tooled border. The frieze is bombe-shaped and fitted with three drawers to the front, each decorated with elaborate scrolling ormolu mounts and retaining finely cast handles. The reverse is similarly finished with conforming dummy drawers, allowing the desk to stand freely within a room.
The whole is veneered in beautifully figured kingwood arranged in chevron and quartered patterns, framed by crossbanding and highlighted by finely chased gilt-bronze mounts to the angles, drawer fronts and apron.
Raised on four slender cabriole legs terminating in elegant sabots, with applied ormolu mounts to the knees and corners, the desk demonstrates refined craftsmanship and the graceful asymmetry characteristic of the Louis XV taste.
A sophisticated and highly decorative writing table, combining practical function with the opulence and flowing lines associated with the French Rococo revival of the late 19th century.
Circa 1890
French
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