This Transitional style piece, known as a “commode sauteuse secretaire” (a long-legged chest of drawers with fold-down writing surface), was crafted during the “Belle Epoque” revivalist wave of the 1880s-1890s, a period when Parisian cabinetmakers reimagined 18th-century designs for a discerning bourgeois and aristocratic clientele. The body is decorated with marquetry in kingwood, a dense exotic rosewood, and tulipwood, having a striking trellis-pattern (AKA: “parquetry a la Reine”) adorning the drawer fronts, sides, and top.
The upper drawer opens to reveal a fitted writing compartment with four small drawers and a pull-out leather writing surface, while the full-length lower drawer offers generous storage. The shaped top is bordered by a gilt-bronze lingotiere frame (a refined protective feature reserved for high-end commissions intended for aristocratic interiors). Additionally, finely cast ormolu mouts include draped handles with ribbon-tied backplates, foliate corner chutes extending down to detailed sabots, and an elaborate apron mount depicting musical instruments and laurel swags – symbols of culture, learning, and refinement.
Dimensions:
W: 37″
D: 17.5″
H: 38.5″
Writing Surface Height: 29″
