Identifying Antique Writing Desks And Storage Pieces
A number of these styles have been revived over and over, and still inspire reproductions in their likeness. Some also overlap in their descriptors. These include slant-fronts like the escritoire and fall-fronts like the butler’s desk, among a number of others. Developed in France, and associated with Louis XIV-style furniture, the Bureau Mazarin was usually quite ornate and lavishly adorned with Boulle marquetry. The name, which literally means “Mazarin’s desk” is a 19th-century term, referring to Cardinal Jules Mazarin, who ruled as Louis’ regent from 1642-1661 Dating from the late 18th century, and continuing in popularity for the next 100 years, this desk usually reflects predominant furniture styles of the period in details such as the feet or ornamentation....