Louis XVI Mahogany Bureau Plat

A late 18th century Louis XVI mahogany bureau plat or writing desk. The rectangular brass banded top accentuated by projecting round fore corners. Set with a finely gold tooled green leather writing surface above three frieze drawers opposing three dummy drawers all with beaded gilt bronze banding. The right front drawer opens to reveal a pull-out storage compartment with a hidden safe behind. Veneered with mahogany on an oak carcase with candle slides on each side on fluted tapering legs terminating in in gilt bronze sabots. The beautifully conserved patina of the wooden surface emanates warmth and depths.
This bureau plat with its clear geometric design executed in mahogany and gilt bronze can be compared to the works of the Paris ebenist Charles Bernard Provost (1706-1786, maître 1737).
See: Pierre Kjellberg, Le Mobilier francais du XVIIIe siècle, Paris 2008, p. 719/720.