Sèvres Porcelain-Mounted Bureau Plat

Form and function converge in this exceptional Louis XV-style bureau plat graced with eight elegant Sèvres porcelain plaques. Framing these delightful, hand-painted floral and fowl-themed plaques is a network of exquisite gilt bronze. Supporting the leather-topped table are graceful cabriole legs, a hallmark of fine Louis XV taste, that are crowned by gilt bronze caryatids and terminate in gilt bronze mounts. What makes this desk even more stunning is the inclusion of three concealed drawers that are opened only by the spring-loaded secret release mechanisms located underneath.

The first porcelain mounted furnishings appeared sometime in the mid-18th century in the shops of the foremost Parisian art dealers. These furnishings successfully, and quite beautifully, married renowned Sèvres porcelain with fine furniture to create a new segment of the decorative arts that appealed greatly to the aristocracy, especially women. The Duchesse de Mazarin, Comtesse du Barry, Marie-Antoinette and the Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna of Russia are all known to have exquisite collections of Sèvres-mounted furniture. This ornate writing desk, or bureau plat, is a stunning 19th-century example of this treasured decorative art. 

Demand for porcelain-mounted furniture was successfully met by Sèvres substantial team of gifted porcelain artisans, particularly flower painters, whose remarkably intricate and elegant floral motifs were the most often requested to adorn these brilliant furnishings. Today, the greatest collections of Sèvres porcelain furniture are held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the Wallace Collection in London and the famed Louve in Paris. 

Circa 1880

53" wide x 31" deep x 32" high