French Louis XV Parquetry & Gilt-Bronze Leather-Top Bureau Plat, Circa 1900

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French Louis XV Parquetry & Gilt-Bronze Leather-Top Bureau Plat, circa 1900
An elegant French Louis XV Revival bureau plat dating … Read more French Louis XV Parquetry & Gilt-Bronze Leather-Top Bureau Plat, circa 1900
An elegant French Louis XV Revival bureau plat dating to the late 19th or early 20th century, circa 1890–1910, combining beautifully patterned parquetry, an inset leather writing surface and extensive gilt-bronze mounts.
The gracefully shaped rectangular top centers a large warm cream-colored leather writing surface framed by parquetry and a molded bronze border. Decorative gilt-bronze corner mounts punctuate the serpentine outline of the top.
Below, three working frieze drawers are faced in finely matched chevron-pattern parquetry and fitted with elaborate Rococo-style bronze handles and a central escutcheon. The parquetry treatment continues around the shaped sides of the desk, giving the piece an unusually rich and cohesive appearance.
The desk is raised on four slender cabriole legs ornamented with long foliate gilt-bronze chutes terminating in bronze sabots. Particularly handsome are the sculptural corner mounts, which visually connect the bronze-bordered writing surface with the long mounts descending the legs.
The combination of warm parquetry, softly aged leather and patinated gilt bronze gives the desk the refined character associated with the finest French Louis XV Revival furnishings produced during the Belle Époque.
Elegant without being excessively large, this is an exceptionally decorative writing desk for a library, study, bedroom or sophisticated home office.
Origin: France, probably Paris
Date: Circa 1890–1910
Style: Louis XV Revival / Belle Époque
Form: Bureau plat / writing desk
Materials: Decorative wood parquetry and veneer, leather, gilt-bronze mounts
Drawers: Three See less