FLAT DESK CALLED "OF THE ABBE TERRAY" OF LOUIS XV STYLE According to the model of Nicolas Pierre Severin In satinwood veneer, chased and gilded bronze ornamentation, the belt opening with three drawers, the curved legs topped with shells and foliage falls H. 79 cm (31 in.) l. 201 cm (79 ¼ in.) P. 98 cm (38 ½ in.) Comparative Bibliography: C. Mestdagh, L'Ameublement d'Art Français 1850-1900, Les Éditions de l'Amateur, Paris, 57, 283 and 284. C. Payne, Paris, La Quintessence du Meuble au XIXe siècle, Éditions Monelle Hayot, 2018, p. 148. A Louis XV style gilt-bronze mounted and satinwood bureau plat, after the model by Nicolas Pierre Severin Our elegant flat desk, of monumental proportions, is a replica of the famous "Abbé Terray" desk, kept in the Louvre Museum since 1924 (inv. OA 7805). The original copy was made around 1760 for the last Controller General of Finances of Louis XV and is stamped by Nicolas Pierre Severin, Master in 1757. Rather known for his work as a restorer, some authors have suggested that he acted as a restorer and that the desk is the work of Joseph Baumhauer. This model was very successful in the 19th century, as evidenced by the stamped copies made by the greatest cabinetmakers of the time, such as Henri Dasson, Alfred Beurdeley, Paul Sormani and Gervais Durand. Rare on the market, among the latest examples sold in recent years, we recall : - Christie's Paris, April 23, 2013, lot 575 (signed Sormani and dated 1881); - Sotheby's New York, April 22, 2010, lot 128 (signed Beurdeley); - Sotheby's New York, April 14, 2016, lot 614 (signed E. Laurent Rue Charonne). It should be noted that all these copies are smaller than ours, which is the same size as the original copy in the Louvre.