Writing Desk

Attributedattributed to Etienne Doirat (French, ca. 1670 - 1732)

Formerformerly attributed to Charles Cressent (French, 1685-1768)

Additional Title(s)

Bureau Plat
Library Table

ClassificationsDECORATIVE ARTS

Date1720-1732

Mediumsolid oak, fir, and beech carcase veneered with purplewood; bronze mounts; modern leather top

Dimensions31 x 70 1/2 x 33 in. (78.7 x 179.1 x 83.8 cm.)

DescriptionWriting table in neo-classical style with bronze mounts at escutcheons and on legs.

InscribedA typed paper label in proper left drawer: From the Collection of the / Comte de la Riboisière / Paris. An "M" is stamped on one of the mounts.

MarkingsAn "M" is stamped on one of the mounts.

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens

Status

On view

Label TextIn the 18th century, the bureau plat was a highly functional piece, made to facilitate clerical tasks. Its form had developed alongside a growing culture of bureaucracy that took shape as early as the 16th century, when the French crown established a network of offices to administer its domestic policies.

Object number11.27