One of the finest pieces of Charles X period furniture to arrive at this gallery, this secretary is both a unique and an emblematic example of the second half of the rare style. This same model of luxury secretary desk is featured in the key French publications about the furniture of the Bourbon Restoration. This desk exemplifies the finest quality possible in Charles X domestic furniture, without entering the tier of Royal, state furniture, or furniture commissioned by specific personalities in or close to the Court.

The overall aesthetic can be seen as a reaction to the majestic, monolithic Neoclassicism of the Empire style. Charles X furniture gains in elegance what it looses in majesty from these previous decades. It prefers a subtler, more romantic Neoclassicism to a triumphant one. The gilded bronze ornamentation of Napoleon’s time is all but gone on most Charles X pieces. The luxury and artistry of this piece is lent to it by the exquisite refinement of the inlaid motifs on both the exterior and inside the piece. The dark background, highlighted with think strips of blond wood is more common after 1825. The original Charles X style, which is more or less identical in taste, is marked by the use of blond woods highlight contrastingly with dark, typically amaranth wood inlay.

The two gorges sculpted around the edge of the marble top represent a decorative touch which was reserved for pieces of high quality. The astonishingly unique and lively interior of this desk is a testament to the skill of its maker, and a reflection of how luxury was generally concealed during this time. The fall front of this desk has retained its original leather writing surface, and it is also equipped with a counterbalance which lifts it closed automatically.

Finally, one remarks how both furniture makers and consumers were proud of the exceptional nature of their art furniture in the pre-industrial, generally pre 1840 era. After this point in time, for technical and societal reasons, quality and stylistic excellence are the exception and not the rule.

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