The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Small desk with folding top (Bureau brisé)

Small desk with folding top (Bureau brisé)

Marquetry by Alexandre-Jean Oppenordt (Dutch, 1639–1715, active France)

Designer:: Brass inlay after a design by Jean Berain (French, Saint-Mihiel 1640–1711 Paris)
Date:: ca. 1685
Culture:: French (Paris)
Medium:: Oak, pine and walnut veneered with ebony, Brazilian rosewood, and marquetry of engraved brass and pewter on tortoiseshell; gilt-bronze moldings and steel locks, hinges and latches.
Dimensions:: H. 30 5/16 in. (77 cm), W. 41 3/4 in. (106 cm), D. 23 3/8 in. (59.4 cm)
Classification:: Woodwork
Credit Line:: Gift of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 1986
Accession Number:: 1986.365.3

This artwork is currently on display in Gallery 531

Description

This desk, with a folding top that opens to reveal a small writing surface, is one of the few surviving pieces commissioned for the personal use of Louis XIV. It was one of a pair intended for the king's petit cabinet, a small private room in the north wing of Versailles. The decoration on the top incorporates such royal symbols as the crown, the crossed L monogram, and the mask of Apollo, the sun god to whom Louis XIV likened himself. The four corners display openwork fleurs-de-lis, symbolizing the French monarchy, with lyres, the musical instrument of Apollo, between them.
Provenance

King's Petit Cabinet, Château de Versailles, France (Louis 14)Louis XIV, King of France , Château de Versailles (before 1718) ; [ Loyd-Paxton, Inc., Dallas, Texas (until 1984) ] ; [ Christie's, New York (sale, November 21, 1984, lot 194; sold to Bernard Baruch Steinitz) ]; Bernard Baruch Steinitz (from 1984) ; Charles and Jayne Wrightsman , New York (1985–86; to MMA)
See also
Who
Jean Berain (37)

Alexandre-Jean Oppenordt (1)
What
Metal (59,369)

Engraving (17,387)

Copper alloy (16,630)

Wood (7,651)

Iron and iron alloy (6,956)

Furniture (5,725)

Brass (3,505)

Iron alloy (3,393)

Steel (3,123)

Plate (2,675)

Woodwork (2,582)

Ormolu (1,683)

Softwood (1,177)

Oak (1,089)

Walnut (909)

Pine (890)

Case furniture (874)

Pewter (812)

Locks (486)

Tortoise shell (374)

Ebony (362)

Rosewood (262)

Desks (193)

Hinges (93)

Moldings (38)

Writing desks (22)

Latches (19)

Brazilian rosewood (13)
Where
Europe (148,590)

France (52,276)

Paris (2,025)
When
A.D. 1600-1800 (66,180)
In the Museum
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts (43,257)
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
Furnishings during the Reign of Louis XIV (1654–1715)

The Art, Form, and Function of Gilt Bronze in the French Interior

France, 1600–1800 A.D.
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Small desk with folding top (Bureau brisé)

Marquetry by Alexandre-Jean Oppenordt (Dutch, 1639–1715, active France)

Met Media

Met Kids

Met Store