The Public Establishment of the Palace, Museum and National Estate of Versailles has acquired the desk made by Riesener for Marie-Antoinette. Like all the other furniture of Versailles, this desk was sold in the Revolutionary auctions of 1793-94. Thus it returns to Versailles after 217 years.
Acquisition of the desk made by Riesener
© RMN (Château de Versailles) / Gérard Blot
The desk in the collection of the Palace
The desk was delivered to the queen’s Garde-Meuble (furniture storehouse) for the Trianon estate. Absolutely perfect in its execution, it impresses by the elegance of its proportions, the refinement of its exotic wood veneering and, especially, by the stunning quality of its gilt bronze decoration in the antique style or with floral motifs, so revealing of the queen’s taste. It bears the circular mark of the queen’s private Garde-Meuble, as well as the crowned CT reserved for this residence. Moreover, it bears a number in ink: No.84, which indicates its precise destination. This number corresponds to the salon of the queen’s house in her Hamlet. This room was also furnished with four magnificent corner tables by Riesener, now on display in several American museums.
Of the numerous masterpieces commissioned by Marie-Antoinette from her favourite cabinet-maker, Jean-Henri Riesener, for her apartments in Versailles and Trianon, the vast majority are now definitively immobilised in American or British museums. So it is a rare occurrence to find one still in private hands and presented on the art market.
With the acquisition of this exceptional piece, the Palace of Versailles pursues the refurnishing policy it launched in the 1950s. It is in fact one of the last piece of furniture designed for the Queen and still in private hands to return to its place of origin. As it cannot be replaced in the Hamlet, whose interiors were extensively modified during the Empire period and are currently unsuited for refurnishing, this desk will be presented in the Cabinet Doré (gilt room) of Marie-Antoinette in the private Grand Apartments of the Queen, whose restoration and refurnishing are currently under way and which will be officially opened in spring 2011.
This acquisition was made possible thanks to the patronage of Sanofi - Aventis and LVMH.
