FRANCE, ÉPOQUE RÉGENCE (1700-1735) Lot n° 36

FLAT OFFICE Blackened pearwood veneer, gold bronzes, copper nets, leather. H. 78.5 cm, W. 180.5 cm, D. 90 cm This elegant desk features a tripartite structure with, on the front, a large central drawer highlighted by a quarter-round cut-out, fl anked with two lateral compartments enhanced with violin cuts and each enclosing two drawers. The furniture decoration, made of black stained wood veneer and highlighted with copper nets, has a rich bronze decoration on the lock entrances and movable gripping handles with muffled lions, foliage and rosettes. Gilded bronze espagnolettes decorate and protect the sharp corners. The cabinet rests on four hexagonal legs, straight at the belt level and arched afterwards. These feet are curved in the shape of crowbars and end in rolling hooves, acanthus leaves, fl euron and pearl nets. The rectilinear top with a bronze molded rim is topped with a red-brown morocco with a golden border. After 1700, the so-called "Mazarin" desks with pedestals and multiple legs no longer met the customers' expectations. Cabinetmakers are looking for a new piece of furniture. As early as 1710, André-Charles Boulle (1642- 1732) showed the direction to follow, by deciding to give up the pre-existing model in a challenging way. He designed the desk by extending the small writing table. The main challenge is the relationship between the amplitude of the plateau and the reduction in the number of feet. Based on the architectural references of the buttresses, he decided to reinforce the supporting structure to relieve the pressure. From then on, the cabinetmakers in the wake of André-Charles Boulle took over his structural scheme and built offices of great diversity throughout the 18th century.