A stunning and rare French 19th century Louis XIV st. ebony, ormolu, pewter and tortoiseshell Boulle Bureau Mazarin desk. The seven drawer, one door desk is raised by eight striking square tapered legs with topie shaped ormolu feet and beautiful... — Read More

A stunning and rare French 19th century Louis XIV st. ebony, ormolu, pewter and tortoiseshell Boulle Bureau Mazarin desk. The seven drawer, one door desk is raised by eight striking square tapered legs with topie shaped ormolu feet and beautiful most decorative foliate brass and tortoiseshell designs set on elegant and most unique pewter backgrounds. The supports are connected by exceptional and uniquely designed interlocking geometric shaped stretchers with fabulous overlapping design. Each of the drawers at the center are richly decorated with sensational intricately detailed scenes of charming personages dancing amidst superb scrolled foliate designs, open winged birds, and lattice designs at the keyhole. At the center is a unique flap down door decorated in the same manner with a richly chased acanthus leaf ormolu mount. The side panels, back and top all display stunning intricately inlaid designs with richly detailed tortoiseshell reserves of flowers, palmettes, horses and chariots, and satyrs playing musical instruments. The top is framed within a mottled ormolu gallery with etched floral designs.

The bureau Mazarin is a desk form named more or less in memory of Cardinal Mazarin, who was the Chief minister of France from 1642 to 1661. It is the earliest predecessor of the pedestal desk and differs from it by having only two tiers of drawers or three tiers of rather small drawers under the desktop surface, followed by eight legs supporting the whole. Also, the bureau Mazarin has cross braces between the legs, forming two Xs or two Hs on each side.

A bureau Mazarin is usually a kneehole desk, in that it is meant to be used sideways, with one knee only beneath the work surface. Members of the nobility often wore a sword, which was forever in the way. It was thus easier to use a desk sideways, with only one knee under it. — Read Less