LOUIS XVI PERIOD CYLINDER DESK Attributed to Claude-Charles Saunier In satin-finish and satin-finish veneer decorated on all sides, with chased and gilded bronze ornamentation, the cylinder opens with a flap revealing a writing desk, three drawers and two compartments, two sliding side shelves, the belt opens with four drawers, resting on eight sheathed legs;small accidents and missing parts. Dimensions (closed) : H.:115 cm (45 ¼ in.) l.:191,5 cm (75 ½ in.) P.:95 cm (37 ½ in.) A Louis XVI gilt-bronze mounted and satinwood cylinder desk, attributed to Claude-Charles Saunier Stylistically dating from the years 1775-1780, this very large cylinder desk is one of the most accomplished examples of this new type of writing desk, created in the 1760s by Jean-François Oeben, before becoming a great success due to its practicality. With its resolutely architectural lines, veneered in the finest satin-finish and embellished with sober, finely chased bronze ornamentation, it can be compared with the cylinder desks produced by the best cabinetmakers of the Louis XVI period, such as Claude-Charles Saunier. The rare radiant sun motif found on the cylinder of our example can be found on a cylinder desk stamped by Saunier and illustrated in P. Kjellberg, Le Mobilier Français du XVIIIe siècle, Les Éditions de L'Amateur, Paris, 1999, p.821. It should also be noted that the same bronze escutcheons and keyhole adorn the top of the legs of a cylinder desk stamped by Jean Caumont and sold at Sotheby's Paris, April 4, 2023, lot 79.