The rectangular writing surface with a three-quarter gallery above a frieze containing a deep drawer, raised on square tapered legs ending in ormolu feet; the whole outline in ormolu. Made after a model of Jean-Henri Riesener.

Early 19th Century (35 ½”w, 25 ½”d, 32”h)

Note: Jean-Henri Riesener (1734-1806) The favorite cabinet-maker of Marie-Antoinette, Riesener was the uncontested master of Louis XVI furniture. He made for Louis XV one of the most fabulous pieces of furniture in the world: the desk for his inner study in Versailles. German in origin, Riesener began his career for the monarchy with the roll-top desk for Louis XV placed in his inner study. Commissioned in 1760 from his master Jean-Francois Oeben, it is a piece of furniture exceptional for its novelty, the refinement of its marquetry, the quality of its bronze details and above all the ingeniousness of its mechanism: all the desk closes with a single turn of the key and opens just by pressing a button! Completed in 1769, it was modified by him during the Revolution when he had to remove the royal symbols. The prestige of this piece of furniture was immense and definitively established the reputation of Riesener. Riesener's marriage to the widow of Oeben, also helped this poor German immigrant become one of the most celebrated ébénistes of late eighteenth-century Paris. French guild regulations were carefully arranged to prevent foreign competition; thus, marriage into established families was an important way for foreigners to be accepted into the furniture-making community. Through his wife, Riesener became related to other prominent ébénistes such as Martin Carlin. he received the official title of ébéniste du roi (Cabinetmaker to the King).