Lot Essay
This elegant table can be related to the oeuvre of the celebrated ébéniste Jean-Henri Riesener and in particular to a model of table-à-écrire, which he is recorded to have supplied to the Crown in several instances. Two comparable tables were delivered by Riesener to Marie-Antoinette for the château de Versailles on 31 December 1783, while another was delivered to the château des Tuileries a year later. Among the related examples by the ébéniste, a writing table sold Christie's, Monaco, 10 December 2000, lot 720 (FF972,500 with premium), while another, bearing the inventory brand of the cheau de Versailles, was sold from the Vergottis collection, Sotheby's, London, 14 June 2000, lot 193 (£46,500 with premium).