Writing desk

Maker Martin Carlin (French, ca. 1739 - 1785)

Maker Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory (French, active from 1756 to the present)

Maker Guillaume Noël (French, active 1755 - 1804)

Additional Title(s)

Bonheur-du-jour

ClassificationsDECORATIVE ARTS

Dateca. 1771

Mediumoak carcase, veneered with tulipwood, sycamore, and amaranth; soft-paste porcelain plaques; gilt bronze mounts and writing accessories; glass inkwell; velvet writing surface; silk and gold brocade drawer linings.

Dimensions31 3/4 x 26 1/4 x 15 3/4 in. (80.6 x 66.7 x 40 cm.)

DescriptionThe main drawers contain fittings for ink and sand, with main compartments fitted with hinged writing surface. The center plaque on the desk-top has a plum in the lower right of the image.

SignedThe bottom of the right rail is stamped: JME and Carlin. Of the seventeen soft-paste porcelain plaques, fourteen were removed for examination. With the exception of the four small shaped plaques at the side of the frieze, all of the plaques removed are marked with the crossed L's of the Sèvres manufactory enclosing the date letter S for 1771 and the mark for Pierre le jeune, a P'. Three of the four small shaped plaques bear no marks. The fourth is marked on the back in blue enamel with the date letter r for 1770 and the mark for Bertrand, a stylized b, and in black enamel with writing, mostly undecipherable, headed by the name POIRIER.

MarkingsMark stamped on the bottom of the right rail 'JME and Carlin'. Plaques: Fourteen of the 17 plaques were removed. (The three not removed include one facing a small drawer above and the two shaped plaques on the large drawer front below.) With the exception of the four small shaped plaques at the side of the frieze, all of the plaques removed are marked with date letter 'S' for 1771 and the painter's mark 'P'' for Jean Jacques Pierre le jeune (1763-1800). Three of the four small shaped plaques are not marked at all; the fourth is marked with the date letter 'r' for 1770 and the unidentified painter's mark ' '. TYPE MARK TEXT The fourth small shaped plaque inscribed with date letter 'r' for 1770 is also covered with black writing, mostly undecipherable, headed by the name POIRIER.

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. The Arabella D. Huntington Memorial Art Collection.

Label TextMartin Carlin, who emigrated from Germany to Paris, was one of the pre-eminent furniture makers of the second half of the 18th century. These small writing desks were supplied by the dealer Poirier, for whom Martin Carlin seems to have worked almost exclusively. Through Poirier, his furniture was sold to Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, Madame du Barry and many members of the court. The main drawers of these desks contain fittings for ink and sand, with main compartments fitted with hinged writing surfaces.

Status

On view

Object number27.122