A late 18th century bureau à cylindre or roll top desk in oak and mahogany with inlaid and filets and plaques of brass and a white Carrera marble top enclosed by a brass gallery.

This desk is a fine example of work from the end of the Louis XVI period i.e. the 1790s. This “updated” Louis XVI style which features brass filets, flutings and plaques, is the successor to the original Louis XVI style (imagine this desk without the brass elements). The style is in vogue throughout the 1790s until the “egyptomania” of the early Napoleonic style emerges by 1797.

The drawers and cylindrical lid lock by trefoil key mechanisms which are a sign of high quality. Coherent with 18th century techniques, the brass gallery securing the marble top is brazed together every ten inches (longer sections of metal were used in later copies).

Nevertheless, this style came back into fashion during the early 19th century, after the fall of Napoleon during the Restoration of the Bourbon monarchy. It is often difficult to tell the difference between Louis XVI style pieces made during the original period and ones which were made during 1815-1820. The real value with regard to dating, however, is simply having one such as this which is definitely not a post-industrial copy made during the late 1800s or even early 20th century.

H: 47.5 in. L: 51 in. D: 25 in.

Myers & Monroe, LLC