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Jean-Henri Riesener (Master 1768)
Paris, 1773
Oak and exotic woods, gilt bronze, velvet
H. 127 x W. 125 x D. 62 cm
Inv. no. 2082
This cylinder desk, with lines that date from the time of Louis XV, has some decorative elements that are already Louis XVI in style. Besides the elegant lines, the bronze candelabra, superbly chased and gilded, in the rocaille style and, above all, the remarkable marquetry in which the combination of the various types of wood, allied with the masterly execution, gives the illusion of an actual painting. The top made up of narrow, articulated slats of wood, rolls into the back of the desk, displaying an interior made up of a pull-out slide, lined with black velvet, with two shelves at the back flanked by drawers.
This work was made for the apartments of the Comtesse de Provence, the sister-in-law of Louis XVI, and wife of the future Louis XVII, in the palace of Versailles, by Jean-Henri Riesener, who was to be designated “Cabinet Maker in Ordinary to the Crown Furniture”.
A selection of 18th century-pieces in the Calouste Gulbenkian Collection
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