Desk (Sécretaire), Oak veneered with ebony and Japanese lacquer; gilt-bronze mounts; marble tops. 1783 (Paris)

This secretary stood in Marie Antoinette’s private apartment at the château de Saint-Cloud; her initials appear three times in the gilt-bronze frieze under the marble top. The opulent refinement of this secretary, made about 1784 by Riesener, responds to the taste of his royal client. Cascading down the front are exquisitely chased gilt-bronze flowers, while fruit, wheat, flowers, and symbols of princely glory spill from the cornucopia mounts along the lower edge. The black-and-gold panels of Japanese lacquer reflect the queen’s fondness for this material.