Writing Desk

Attributedattributed to André-Charles Boulle the elder (French, 1642 - 1732)

Additional Title(s)

Bureau Plat

ClassificationsDECORATIVE ARTS

Date1700-1705, with later alterations

Mediumsolid oak and walnut carcase veneered with purplewood; brass stringing; gilt bronze mounts; modern leather top

Dimensions30 1/8 x 74 1/4 x 35 5/16 in. (76.5 x 188.6 x 89.7 cm.)

DescriptionA gilt-bronze mounted writing desk in Louis XV style.

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens

Status

On view

Label TextThe fact that this desk has a relatively simple decoration suggests that it was probably commissioned or purchased by an aristocratic or professional patron rather than the royal crown. Strongly associated with masculine pursuits like business, writing, and study, bureaux plats like this often appear in portraits of men, and to a lesser extent of women, who sought to identify themselves as learned, worldly, and competent. Their sheer size, compared to the smaller, more delicate “women’s” desks (like the highly decorative mechanical table nearby), also endowed their users with a degree of monumentality.

Object number25.12