A Louis XIV ormolu-mounted tinted horn, mother-of-pearl, brass and tortoiseshell-inlaid bureau, attributed to BVRB I circa 1695

With scattered age and construction cracks, dents and abrasions. Old worm damage to underside and some minor old worm damage to interior of central compartment with fall front. Underside with restored and filled age cracks. Side aprons of front with restored breaks. Tortoiseshell with scattered cracks overall due to age, some buckling in areas, restorations and small (not extensive) losses, with the largest loss being approximately 1cm by 1 cm in lower left corner of upper left drawer. Horn and mother-of-pearl inlay with fine age cracks, minor losses and restorations. Horn appears to be with some later tiniting in areas. Brass with minor dents, oxidation and light surface dirt. Brass inlay in small areas of central drawer now lifting. Top with later clear varnish. Some other areas with varnish with varnish on left side with some hazing. One foot on front left side lacking small, approximately 2in. by 1in.; piece of veneer. In overall restored, good condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This bureau belongs to a group of desks attributed to "Le Maître du bureau de l'electeur," who has been identified as Bernard Ier van Risamburgh (c.1660-1738) by Jean-Nérée Ronfort and Jean-Dominique Augarde, see "Le Maître du Bureau de L'Electeur," L'Estampille, January 1991, pp. 42-74.  The authors have identified a "Louis XIV group" which shares the distinctive pierced scrolled angles and S-scroll legs as well as the recessed side panels on the kneehole.  The marquetry, which shows the same very distinctive motifs and figures throughout, is undoubtedly executed in the same workshop.  This group includes a bureau in the Victoria and Albert Museum, which is closest in design to this lot.  The other examples from this group are more richly decorated and the shape is more exaggerated.  These include the Duchesse de Retz's bureau, now in the collection of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle (see ibid., pp. 60-61), and a bureau made for Maximilien II Emmanuel, Elector of Bavaria, now in the J. Paul Getty Museum, see Gillian. Wilson, Baroque and Régence, Catalogue of the J. Paul Getty Collection, Los Angeles, 2005, pp. 82-95.
The celebrated bureau made for Elector Maximilien II Emmanuel of Bavaria after 1715, is in the Louvre (Renfort, op cit., p. 49).  Although 20 years later and in the Régence style, it still shows some identical elements in the marquetry to this lot.