Getty Museum

Secrétaire à abattant

Date

about 1775

Medium

Oak veneered with ebony, holly, stained holly, amaranth and tulipwood, incised with colored mastics, set with soft-paste porcelain plaques with bleu céleste ground color, polychrome enamel and gilding; gilt-bronze mounts; white marble top

Culture

French

Department

Decorative Arts

Institution

Getty Museum

Delicate desks like this model ornamented a room and provided their owners with a place to write and lock up their private letters and documents. The front of this piece opens to reveal a velvet-lined writing surface and several drawers and cubbyholes. Creating this kind of writing desk involved many people. First, the *marchand-mercier* (art dealer) commissioned the furniture’s design and ordered the porcelain plaques. Craftsmen at the Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory created, painted and gilded these plaques. An *ébéniste* (furniture maker) made the wooden parts, leaving space for the plaques. A variety of craftsmen designed and made the gilt bronze decorative pieces that attach to the wood, while another specialized worker lined the drawers with silk or velvet. A locksmith had to fit doors and drawers with keyholes and locks. Finally, the *ébéniste* assembled the desk and returned it to the dealer to sell.

The authoritative record is held by Getty Museum. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.