351 - Ladies’ secretary desk made of rosewood veneer inlaid with curly grain and amaranth. Opens via a belt-style drawer, a drop-down panel revealing four drawers and a compartment, and two doors in the lower section. Front posts are slanted. Decorated with bronze hardware, including finials and a lock plate. Molded marble top.

Ladies’ secretary desk made of rosewood veneer inlaid with curly grain and amaranth. Opens via a belt-style drawer, a drop-down panel revealing four drawers and a compartment, and two doors in the lower section. Front posts are slanted. Decorated with bronze hardware, including finials and a lock plate. Molded marble top. Stamped twice with “F-REIZELL” on a side panel and “JME” on the top. Louis XVI period. (Restorations; a few cracks and minor lifting of the veneer; chips on the marble) Height: 132 cm - Width: 64 cm - Depth: 35.5 cm. François REIZELL was admitted as a master cabinetmaker on February 26, 1764. This craftsman of German origin began his career in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, on Rue Traversière; around 1770, he left the cabinetmakers’ district to set up shop on Rue des Saints-Pères and finally on Rue du Petit-Lion-Saint-Germain. He did not register his master’s certificate until February 22, 1765, and at that time employed as an apprentice the man who would become the famous cabinetmaker Joseph BAUMHAUER. His main client was the Prince of Condé, to whom he delivered numerous pieces of furniture for the Palais-Bourbon and for his châteaux at Chantilly and Villegénis.