Louis XVI Period Secretary

Mahogany secretary desk, chiseled and gilded bronze ornamentation, white marble top, opening to a drawer decorated with a putti frieze, a flap revealing an interior lined with four drawers and three secret drawers, then a drawer centered with a projection decorated with flowering branches, flanked by uprights with cut sides garnished with sunflowers from which a floral bouquet escapes, resting on removable faceted tapered legs, joined by a spacer shelf. Bronze mount probably by Pierre Gouthiere. Jean-Henri Riesener (July 4, 1734 - January 6, 1806) - master's degree obtained on January 23, 1768, date on which he began to use his own stamp, and, in July 1774, the title of ordinary cabinetmaker of the Mobilier de la Couronne, replacing Gilles Joubert. The greatest cabinetmaker of his time.