Magnificent Flat Desk in Blackened Wood and Bronzes, Napoleon III Style

The Gouffé company is a great French furniture manufacturer whose quality of manufacture is no longer to be discussed. 

This sumptuous desk, from the very beginning of the 20th century, has been meticulously crafted and reveals a remarkable work of marquetry in wood and brass. 

The ornaments are in finely chased and gilded bronze.
The top is covered in tobacco leather and has a beautiful fleuron in the centre printed in gold leaf, as well as on each of its corners.
These are themselves enhanced by two braids with arabesque motifs, also printed in gold leaf.

Under the top is a belt made up of four bands, two long and two short, which follow the line of the top and contain three drawers, two on the sides and one in the middle.  

The drop handles and the lock entrance are also in bronze. 

Four caryatids in the form of women’s busts adorn the top of each leg, which are arched and terminate in crow’s feet.

Signature, with a plate of the Gouffé house affixed in a drawer.
Dimensions : H : 78cm x L : 149cm x W : 78 cm

The flat desk is the name given to the large rectangular desk with a belt of drawers. It is a typical representative desk.

In general, it is a piece of furniture made by cabinetmakers, i.e. by master cabinetmakers or workshops authorised by royal privilege to work with wood in veneer or marquetry. 

Rarely is it made of solid wood by carpenters. This piece of furniture, originally designed for men, reached its peak in the Louis XV period and began to be made for women, becoming the small boudoir writing table.

Flat desks in blackened wood with beautiful gilded bronzes remain very popular and give cachet to workplaces.