Antique French Writing Desk Louis XIV Style

Antique French Writing desk

ca. 1685 France (Paris)

Antique office furniture Oak, pine, and walnut veneered with ebony, rosewood, and marquetry of engraved brass on tortoiseshell; gilt bronze, steel; H. 30 3/8 in. (77.2 cm), W. 41 3/4 in. (106 cm), D. 23 3/8 in. (59.4 cm)

This Antique French Writing Desk Louis XIV Style , with a folding top that opens to reveal a small writing surface, is one of the few surviving pieces commissioned for Louis XIV's personal use. 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.