Antique 18th Century French and Italian Desks
Antique French and Italian Desks (1715-1770)
Louis XV kingwood bureau plat with serpentine top.
In France, about 1715, the bureau-Mazarin with eight legs and banks of drawers is replaced, probably by Boulle, with the bureau plat (flat-topped writing-table) on four cabriole legs with only three drawers set in line in the frieze, the centre one slightly recessed. Veneers are protected, especially on outside angles of legs, with ormolu mounts. By 1750, bureau plat in fully developed Louis XV style is an assembly of flowing curves, sometimes without drawers in frieze to detract from its elegance, sometimes with cartonnier
(separate, matching rack of shelves for documents) placed at end next to wall. Flowing lines followed in solid French provincial and Swiss versions.
About 1760, the secretaire-a-capucin (or a-la-Bourgogne) is made by Vandercruse and others; a small table on cabriole legs when closed, but when folding top is extended, a mechanism releases a bank of drawers. The bonheur-du-jour is also a lady’s desk, but with Louis W kingwood and parquetry bureau de dame.
bank of drawers and/or pigeonholes permanently in position. The bureau-de-dame is on cabriole legs and in its early form has a sloped fall, modified by Oeben who replaces it with a tambour composed of slats glued to fabric and running in curved grooves. He invents cylinder-top desk for Louis XV – solid, curved lid moving in grooves – unfinished on Oeben’s death in 1763 and completed by Riesener, 1769; considered finest piece of French 18thC furniture extant.
The secretaire-a-abattant is a revival of late-17thC secretaire with vertical fall, but carcase often has bombe curves. Rococo curves become less marked during transitional period in 1760s, when royal mistresses, de Pompadour and (later) du Barry help steer court taste in direction of neo-classicism.
German birch bureau-cabinet, mid-18th century.
In Germany, the bureau-cabinet remains favourite form of desk. Rococo decoration is applied to heavy, shaped carcases. In some, cabinet section has cabriole feet resting on top of bureau. Makers include Schnell in Dresden and Hermann of Bamberg, who also produces writing-table in French style about 1765 with tambour top. Lighter types of bureau without cabinet produced by Roentgen family at Neuwied. Danish and Finnish examples mostly follow German. In Holland, bureau-cabinet retains heavy baroque flavour with rococo touches; base has boldly canted corners, top of cabinet is often stepped to hold oriental vases. In Italy bureau-cabinet reaches dizzy heights of rococo extravagance, notably at hands of Piffeti, Turin. Simpler bureaux were made in Tuscany.
Northern Italian walnut bombe bureau, mid-18th century.
Sophisticated types: Exotic veneers, e.g. kingwood, tulipwood, citrus.
Provincial types: Solid cherry, walnut.
Bureau, bureau-cabinet: Basically as for previous period, but elaborate shaping of carcase in German examples achieved by ‘brick’ system – building up with small sections.
Bureau plat: Rails tenoned into tops of cabriole legs; top of sophisticated type framed up and fixed to rails with pegs and glue-blocks. Top of French provincial type made up with solid boards, tongued and grooved.
French: Delicate marquetry on fall of bureaude-dame and secretaire-a-abattant bureau plat more reliant on fine veneers and elaborate ormolu mounts; e.g. Cressent, cabinet-maker to Regent during minority of Louis XV, sets fashion for espagnolettes– mounts cast as busts of nymphs and fauns.
German and Italian: Elaborate carving and marquetry for bureau-cabinets; cresting on cabinet can be wildly asymmetrical. Best Dresden work has very fine ormolu mounts.
Veneers varnished, sanded down and waxed. German carving parcel-gilt – i.e. details gilded in contrast to woodwork. In Italy, painting with lacca; Venice specializes in lacca povera (lacca contrafatta) – prints by Bassano del Grappa of Remondini, glued to coloured ground and varnished.
Ostentatious pieces bring very high prices and demand handsome settings. Best buy is probably French provincial bureau plat in cherry or walnut.
Principal maker of bureau-cabinets in mid-18thC Copenhagen was Ortmann, who numbered all his products and pasted a trade label inside. Some were disposed of as prizes in lotteries, and could turn up anywhere.
Finnish oak bureau-cabinet, mid-18thC.
carved giltwood pier mirror grained rosewood occasional table mahogany hanging corner cupboard mahogany cellare
old girl blouse
very nice clock ask a
balance era of napoleon iii
brass bronze wall candlesticks onearm
silver spectacles snuff box vinaigrette
night lamp chrome metal art deco
old antique bronze pitcher france
jug copper mouss france
Tags: Antique, Cabinet, cabriole, cabriole legs, Desk, example, louis xv style, marquetry, neo classicism, ormolu, ormolu mounts, period, Rococo, walnut, writing table