A mahogany bureau plat stamped J. H. Riesener and with the Palais de Tuileries stamp Louis XVI, circa 1780

with a galleried leather inset top above two frieze drawers within a gilt-bronze beaded border, the stiles with raised tablets with concave corners above gilt-bronze headers on square tapering legs applied with similar panels, on gilt-bronze tapering block feet and castors

In overall good condition. The leather writing surface is scuffed and has marks consistent with use. There is some very minor patching and localised splitting to the mahogany border around this writing surface. Old very minor old marks and scratches. Of pleasing proportions.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Comparative Literature:
D. Alcouffe, A.Dion-Tenebaum, A. Lefébure, Furniture Collections in the Louvre, Vol I, Dijon, 1993, p. 276, no. 91.
Anne Forray-Carlier, Le Mobilier du Musée Carnavalet, Dijon, 2000, pp. 176-177, no. 65 (inv. MB299).
Jean Nicolay, L'art et la Manière des Maitres ébénistes Français au XVIIIe siècle, Paris, 1976, Vol. I, figs. U, V, Y.
Alexandre Pradère, French furniture makers, The art of the ébéniste from Louis XIV to the Revolution, London, 1989.
Pierre Verlet, Le Mobilier Royal Français, Picard, 1990, pp. 91-92, illustrated plate XVI for a table à écrire by Riesener for Thierry de Ville D'Avray at the Tuileries, circa 1782 (Musée des Arts Decoratifs, Paris).  

This supremely elegant and soberly styled desk executed in the finest mahogany veneer is very much in the vein of official furniture during the Ançien Régime. Several tables of this type both in the form of writing tables and table à jeux were delivered by Riesener to the Garde-Meuble royal during the years 1770-1780. They were part of the furnishings ordered for the private apartments of the royal family. The choicest cuts of mahogany were employed on these tables and the gilt-bronze mounts were kept to a minimum to let the beauty of wood shine through. The carcass was also impeccably executed in Hungarian oak.  Some of these tables were in the form of writing tables commonly with three or two drawers or a drawer in the side.

Several examples of this type of table à écrire by Riesener are recorded:
-a table à écrire stamped and delivered by Riesener for the Palace of Fontainebleau, sold Sotheby's, Monaco, 27^th February 1992,  lot 38 (643800FF).
-a table à écrire stamped by Riesener delivered on 10^th May 1784, for the Controller General of Finance at Versailles, sold Christie's Paris, 7^th December 2001, lot 637.
-a bureau with three frieze drawers, circa 1783, delivered for Robinet, an officer of the King's Household, transferred from the Ministère de la Guerre in 1912 (inv. OA 6637), illustrated by Alcouffe et al, op. cit.,  p. 276, no. 91.
-a table à jeux attributed to Riesener in the Musée Carnavalet, illustrated by Forray-Carlier, op. cit., pp. 176-177.