the interior and back with a green ebony and lemonwood rinceaux marquetry, the rectangular removable tier with eight drawers and a pull-out central section, on eight carved giltwood feet, the folding hinged top opening to reveal three drawers, with four further drawers and a flap, on eight square tapering legs joined by an H-stretcher, ending in foliate bun feet

Former collection of the Princes Ruffo, Italy

Franco di Castro Gallery, Rome

The illustration of the catalogue is accurate. There are the inevitable dents, marks, scratches and shrinkage cracks due to age and use. There are restorations to the tin marquetry, especially to the edges, around the key holes, and to foliate scrolls. There are some losses to the Green Ebony marquetry, with liftings, especially to the lower drawers, and to the central door of the tier. The central door of the top tier: there are some lifting areas. The lock needs to be refixed. The inside of the top has two main cracks, and there are restorations to the West Indies Satin Wood marquetry with some replacements. The central door of the lower part: the inside of the door has been restored with a new piece of wood, and fitting cracks are visible. The escutcheon had been probably transformed. There are some chips to the giltwood elements of the base. There are old traces of woodworms. Elegant desk with a well restored and rare tin marquetry.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The Franco-Flemish style of the "mazarin" desk, favoured during the reign of Louis XIV, thrust the Parisian and Antwerp workshops into productive competition at the end of the seventeenth century, fuelling their creativity in the choice of designs, ingenuity of their construction and in the use of elegant materials such as tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl, ebony, pewter, and gilt-bronze. The more prestigious bureau brisé displayed a superstructure. It is rare to have both the upper and lower elements survive intact, as seen in the present lot. A similar tortoiseshell and brass inlaid marquetry desk, circa 1675–1680, is in the Royal Collection in England (INV no 39213) and illustrated in G. Wilson, Baroque and Régence, Catalogue of the J. Paul Getty Museum Collection, 2008, p. 91, ill. 7-p.

This desk is consistent with the works of Parisian ébénistes of the late-seventeenth century, such as those by Pierre Gole, Domenico Cucci, or Nicolas Gaudron. The photograph of a bureau à gradin attributed to Renaud, or Nicolas Gaudron, featuring floral marquetry and a similar structure can be found illustrated in C. Demetrescu, Le Style Louis XIV, Paris, 2002, p. 130, fig. 110. The ornamentation of the desk seems to be inspired by the designs of Paul Androuet du Cerceau's (see Dessins pour tables, bureaux et autres ouvrages de marqueterie taken from a set of etchings published in Paris by Nicolas I Langlois circa 1675–1680). This bureau also resembles the Louis XIV tortoiseshell, pewter, copper, amaranth and the characteristic light-coloured wood inlaid marquetry bureau brisé, sold at Sotheby's i꧙n Paris on April 20, 2012 (lot 39).

Furthermore, the structure of the present bureau brisé is similar to f🎃urniture made by the Flemish merchant-cabinet-maker Hendrick von Soest (1659–1726) for Max-Emmanuel, Elector of Bavaria, now in the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum in Munich.